Edge of Darkness
by Sasuke0623
Summary: "It was there, in a dimly lit hall in Madara's lair, half a day before the battle, that Sasuke was sure he'd lost every bit of humanity that he might have had. He leaned against the wall behind him and slid to the ground, clutching his sword to his chest, as a maniacal smile stretched from ear to ear across his face...and crystal-like tears dripped to the dirt covered ground"
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**_Healing_**

_"Because I love you..."_

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He stood before me in all his glory. Spiked jet black hair, pale bloodied skin, dark emotionless eyes, and at that moment, I fell in love all over again. His perfect lips parted and he spoke to her. The motionless lump on the ground, staring up at him with love and pain and confusion. Her half-lidded eyes widened in shock and horror as he took a step toward her, sword raised, face stoic.

My heart pounded.

He was going to kill her!

"Sasuke!" I shouted. His eyes were on me in a second, still the beautiful grey I always loved to gaze at. A part of me stirred. Was I not a threat enough for him to turn on the Sharingan?

_Don't underestimate me, Sasuke_. I thought, moving my feet farther apart, muscles tight, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"Sakura…" His voice sent shivers through my body. "What are you doing here?" His eyes shifted behind me, clearly searching for any other chakras that might have been hidden. "Where are the others?"

"It's just me." I replied, ignoring his first question. His eyes narrowed and his fingers tightened around his katana.

"What are you doing…here?" He repeated, clearly annoyed that I did not answer the first time.

I straightened up, fingers moving toward my kunai pouch at my hip, eyes locked on his.

"I'm here to stop you, Sasuke!" I saw his body tense for a second, then the smirk was on his face.

"You?" If he had been anyone _but_ Sasuke, he would have laughed out loud. But Sasuke doesn't laugh. Sasuke doesn't show emotion. "Leave, Sakura. This is your one and only warning. I don't have time to waste on you." Then he turned to the red head woman on the ground.

Surveying her, I knew she was going to die from blood loss in a few moments anyway. My eyes narrowed. _Sasuke…what have you done? This isn't the Sasuke I know._

Bending my knees, I pulled out a kunai. Chakra flowed into the bottom of my feet. _This is it!_

I saw his eyes widen just the slightest. I swung my right arm around and my left raised just in time to block his sword as he swung it toward me. I gripped my kunai tighter at his neck and pushed chakra into my left hand to be evenly matched against his physical strength.

_Hm. Impressive as always, Sasuke._

His beautiful eyes narrowed in irritation and he lowered his sword arm and sheathed Kusanagi before tilting his head away from the kunai and smirking at me.

"Well done, Sakura. I'm impressed." Then, he was gone. The shock lasted mere seconds and I whirled around to face him. Standing where I was just seconds before, he smirked at me. "But you can't hope to defeat me. Now…" His face broke out into a grin and I winced. He seemed almost deranged. "…time to die."

I jumped back to the woman on the ground and got on my knees, still facing Sasuke. I extended my left arm and pressed it against her back. I took a quick survey of her injuries and frowned. Her wounds were from the Chidori. Why would Sasuke attempt to kill his teammate? What had she done?

_Then again, I haven't really done anything to him either and he's trying to kill me_. The thought saddened me. My face remained emotionless as I kept watch on him, simultaneously pumping healing chakra into the woman. Her strained breathing became easier and she glanced up at me.

"What are you doing?" She whispered, her voice laced with confusion.

"What does it look like? I'm healing you. Now don't move or else you'll hurt yourself more." Sasuke had yet to move, but watched me with those grey eyes.

"You…fool…" She hissed, laying her head back on the ground, too exhausted to hold herself up any more. "You can't…defeat him…"

"Let _me _worry about that." I smiled down at her. "You just try to get better ok?"

"Sakura!" Sasuke called over to me. I looked up, attention focused on him again. "You must truly wish to die. Not only do you challenge me, knowing I am way out of your league. But you waste your chakra on someone who will die anyway. And…" The grin was back. "…you even turn your attention _away_ from me. You've got guts, I'll give you that."

The woman's wounds were healed enough to ensure her survival. I wasted no more chakra on her and stood to face him.

"I told you, Sasuke! I'm going to take you back to Konoha! I'm going to stop whatever you're planning!" The grin faded, and the maniac was gone, replaced by the stoic Sasuke I missed dearly.

"Do you know…" he said quietly, eyes distant. "…what it is that I'm planning, Sakura?"

I shook my head no.

"I will…" His eyes narrowed. "…_destroy Konoha!_"

Then he lunged at me. Chakra pulsed throughout his body, yet he did not draw his katana.

_Full body Chidori!_ I pumped chakra through my body, hardening it into a shield. I knew it would do almost nothing to defend against his Chidori, the ultimate assassination technique, but it would defend me from the paralysis effect.

I blocked his punches and kicks with my arms, wincing as every collision sent a shockwave through my body. The shield was working good enough, my body wasn't numb.

He pulled out the katana and swung. It clashed with my kunai and I pumped chakra into my arms and legs to push him back. The Sharingan glared at me, then.

"Don't…look into his eyes!" I heard the woman hiss and I was instantly caught in his genjutsu.

"Damn it!" I hissed, feeling my body freeze up. He walked toward me slowly, eyes locked on mine. I bit my lip in vain, knowing full well that a distraction through pain would not help me break free of this genjutsu. The Sharingan was more fearsome than any other dojutsu. I had to think quickly.

"You've improved, Sakura." He spoke quietly. "And I hear that you're a medic, now."

"What of it?" I snapped, frustration coursing through me as I struggled to get free.

"Your skills could be used to fulfill my goal…" He seemed to be talking mostly to himself. "I'll make you a proposition. Kill Karin, and I'll let you come with me." By Karin, I assumed he was referring to the woman I'd just healed.

"She's your teammate." I avoided the question. "Why would you kill her?"

"She's of no more use to me, as you can see."

"So you throw her away like trash?" I was angry and hurt. This wasn't the Sasuke I knew! _Sasuke!!! Where are you?!_

"Pawns on chessboard are meant to be used." He replied matter-of-factly. "They are disposable. Dispensable. Once their usefulness runs out, they become worthless." I let out a bitter laugh.

"You're insane." I snapped. "This isn't the Sasuke I knew. This isn't the Uchiha Sasuke who held himself high with the pride and dignity of his clan!" His eyes flashed, then.

And he laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And it was sickening. My stomach twisted at the sound.

"What _pride?_ What _dignity?_" The grin was back. "Don't speak of my clan as if you _know_ anything, Sakura." Then it was gone. And his face was pained and angry. "Bring me…Itachi. Bring me…my clan." He tilted his head to the side and his left eye flashed with a strange Sharingan. "_Bring them back to me and then I'll stop!!!"_

"_Release!!_" I shouted, pushing wave after wave of chakra through my body. The genjutsu released and I lunged to the side just fast enough to avoid his Ameterasu. The black flame sparked then vanished and I turned my eyes on him. The Sharingan was gone and his eye was bleeding. He fell to his knee, gasping for air.

_The last battle must have worn him out…_I thought, straightening up._ And good thing too. It took up almost all of my chakra to get out of that genjutsu. _

I knew, then, that if I was to kill Uchiha Sasuke, this would be the time. When he is most worn out and at a disadvantage. The kunoichi within me pushed me forward. My face remained impassive as I stepped closer to him. _This is it_…She hissed in the back of my mind_. Kill the traitor! End this now! He's not our Sasuke. He's a demon! Destroy him!!_

But…the Sakura within me…the humanity with me fought back. Memories flashed before my eyes of our genin days. He protected me, he cared for me although I was a nuisance. I remembered those brief moments when he'd smile. I remembered the scarce compliments he used to give me. I remembered the lunches we had, the hours of training we shared, the missions, the exams, the hardships, the pain, the lunches at Ichiraku, the sleep overs, the laughs, the tears, the blood, the sweat, the anger, the hurt, the frustration, the happiness, the joy, the hugs the hands held-- _We. Were. A. Team._

No tears fell when I reached him and bent down. He did not move, still not considering me a threat.

_Never underestimate your opponent, Sasuke…_

I reached out my hand and touched him, wincing as a weak Chidori coursed through my body. I pushed my chakra into his body and paralyzed him. His eyes snapped to me, wide with anger and hatred. I nearly faltered, my heart clenching in pain at the sight.

But I had decided not to give in. And I did not give in.

My chakra flowed into his body stitching, cleaning, restoring, repairing, healing every broken part of him it could reach. _Except one…_ I thought bitterly_. His soul which is damaged beyond my abilities to heal. I can't help him…_

"What the hell…are you doing?" He gasped out, clenching his eyes tight.

"I promised you…" I whispered, catching his attention. "I promised you all those years ago that I would do anything for you…"

"A foolish little girl you were, huh Sakura?" He was bitter, angered at the thought that I was incapacitating him. He couldn't move, not even tilt his head.

"Hm. So it would seem…" I replied, wiping the sweat dripping from my brow. I was running low on chakra, but I knew I had to heal most of his injuries before I stopped. "But…I don't go back on my word, Sasuke. I can't help you accomplish your goal, because it seems that your goal is to destroy my home."

"Tch."

"I will stand and fight against you when the time comes, Sasuke." My eyes watched him watch me. "But…this is all I can give you now. I will heal your cuts and bruises, repair your ribs and internal organs. I will stitch back your heart…but I'm sorry, I can't heal your soul."

A lone tear fell on his cheek and he glanced up at me. My emotionless mask was still intact, for which I was grateful.

"Until the time comes when we face each other as enemies…" I pulled my hand back and he breathed in deep and jumped back as soon as he regained mobility. "…until that time, Sasuke, you will always have a friend in me. Do not forget."

I stood and faced him, fisting my hands to keep the shaking at bay. Too much. I used up too much chakra. Reaching into my pouch, I pulled out a purple pill and popped it in my mouth. The chakra pill will last me another two hours at most. I had to reach a safe location by then or else I was done for.

"You're still as foolish as you were back then, Sakura." His voice was cold, but the craziness I'd sensed in him earlier was gone.

"Will you kill me now, Sasuke?" I asked calmly. He watched me silently for a few moments before turning away and pulling off his shirt. My eyes landed on the curse mark on his back. The transformation was instantaneous. Mutated wings grew out of his back, the skin color shifted to a grayish-blue color, his hair grew longer and lighter in color. Then, he was in the air, disappearing from my sight within seconds.

A groan from behind me caught my attention.

Karin was pushing herself up on her knees, shaking and swaying dangerously. I made my way back to her, catching her just before she hit the ground. She stared up at me.

"Wow, you are one lucky bitch to have faced Sasuke and lived through it." She mumbled, clearly not fully conscious. I ignored the comment and helped her stand up.

"I healed most of your injuries." I said to her quietly. "You're…you were Sasuke's ally right?"

"Of course!" She snapped, as though offended I would even ask. "Don't believe anything he says, he still needs me. He was just tired…he wasn't thinking right."

I pitied her, then, for loving someone so dearly to the point that she would deceive herself to numb the pain. But, then again, I knew all about that didn't I?

"So, where will you go now?" I asked, letting her go once I was sure she was steady enough on her own. "Sasuke's gone, and he obviously has no desire to find you again." The look on her face reminded me of myself years ago.

"He'll come back for me! He doesn't know it yet, but he needs me. I'm the one there when he needs chakra the most. He takes mine…he'll come back for me…I know he will…" She bit her lip.

"So, you'll wait for him here?"

"I-I…"

"Konoha shinobi are on their way over here, following my scent." I told her, knowing well that Kiba and Akamaru were coming after me with Lee and Kakashi. "If you stay here, they'll either kill you or take you hostage."

"What-- then where the hell am I supposed to go?" She was almost at the point of hysteria. I knew I would regret it later, but I had to.

"Come with me." I said. Her eyes widened and she hesitated.

"Why would you take me with you? What's the difference between you and the other Konoha shinobi? How do I know you won't kill me either?"

"Would I have healed you if I had any intention of killing you?" I replied, turning to the direction of my destination. Northwest. Konoha. "It's your decision. I'm low on chakra and so are you. You have no food and neither do I. but I, at least, know a place to rest and eat. I'm leaving with or without you. It's your choice whether you want to follow or not."

She was quiet and I'd had it with her. Turning away, I made my way toward the forest.

"Wait!" I glanced back. "I just want to know one thing." Her eyes watched me carefully. "Why…are you helping me?"

I pondered for a few moments, but the answer came instantaneous.

"Because that is my ninja way."

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"Kiba-kun! Are we almost there?" Lee shouted over to Kiba. Akamaru barked and Kiba sniffed along with him.

"There's a stench of blood three kilometers north of here. Sakura's scent leads that way, so we're on the right track." Kiba replied.

"I do not understand why Sakura-san would betray us in this way." Lee mumbled to himself, remembering Sakura's stunt with the sleep powder.

"Sakura wanted to face Sasuke alone." Sai answered. "She feels like it's her duty to take him out of the picture because of the responsibility she'd placed on Naruto-kun's shoulders all those years ago. She wants to take the burden upon herself."

"That's crazy!" Kiba said, eyes narrowing at the clearing up ahead. "We are all connected to Sasuke in one way or another. She and Naruto did not have to face that responsibility alone! Those idiots!"

"Yes! We are all shinobi of Konoha and we must take care of one another!" Lee exclaimed, his eyes burning with passionate fire.

To the left of them, Kakashi listened quietly, his eyes side and heavy. _Sakura…_he thought, fisting his hands tight_. I should not have said those words to you. It was meant to comfort you, but I know now that it was the wrong thing to say. You are much more sensitive than the rest of us, and I should have known that they would affect you differently. I'm sorry…I am the teacher, I was supposed to take the burden off your shoulders, but all I did was weigh you down even more_.

"Up there!" Kiba shouted in time with Akamaru's bark.

The trees parted and they faced the battlefield. It was deserted, broken, and bloodied. No one in sight.

Kiba sniffed the air, moving ahead of them. Akamaru sniffed the pool of blood across the clearing.

"Sakura's scent is fading. She's been gone for a while, I'd say an hour and a half at least." Kiba called out. "Akamaru doesn't recognize the scent of blood over there. It's not someone from our village."

"There are no bodies, despite the blood." Lee mused out loud. "Were there no casualties?"

"No." Kakashi mumbled, stepping toward a piece of cloth caught under the rubble. "There were casualties…" He pulled it out and his right eye widened. "Kiba, can you tell who's bandage this is?"

Kiba held it close and closed his eyes, focusing on matching the scent with any of the scents he'd remembered from the past.

"It's familiar, but I can't put my finger on it." he gave the cloth back to Kakashi. "It's definitely not Sasuke's, but I've smelled it before."

"I see…" Kakashi pocketed the cloth and stood, facing the trees again. _Could it…have been you? Who won, I wonder? I doubt Sasuke would have let himself die fighting the man who initiated everything…but it's hard to tell from this position._

"What do we do now?" Lee asked, his eyes watching Kakashi.

"We find Sakura." The elder man replied. "She's still out here somewhere. The fact that there is no body means that she either did not find Sasuke, or she found him and he refused to fight her. Either way, I'm sure she's alive. Kiba, Akamaru, follow the strongest trail you can find of her scent. If there's even the slightest chance that she instigated something with Sasuke then she could be hurt or in danger. We have to hurry."

"Hai!"

A hole in the wall caught Kakashi's eye. He walked to it, and touched it with the tips of his fingers. His eyes widened when he felt a spark from the stone, his fingers instantly going numb.

_Chidori…_He thought. _So, you were here Sasuke._

He made his way toward the others, following behind_. I fear for you, Sasuke…The path of an avenger is laced with darkness and pain. I would not wish that upon even my darkest enemies. Come to your senses…I fear the day will come when you and I will face each other in a life or death battle, just as the Sandaime did with his pupil, Orochimaru. _

Kakashi fisted the cloth in his pocket tightly.

_Sasuke…_

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_**A/N:**__ Well, here it is. I know I've been away for a reeaaallyyy long time, but it's just been sooo hectic and I've been suffering from major writer's block. I do have an announcement though:_

_If anyone would like to take any of my stories, please fill out the following and send me a PRIVATE MESSAGE. I will go through all of the forms and choose the best writer to continue my stories. _

_**Name:**_

_**Email:**_

_**Story:**_

_**Why you would like to continue this story:**_

_I'll be looking forward to hearing from anyone interested. Once again, sorry for disappearing, I missed you all dearly. I hope this new story seems interesting so far. It was inspired, obviously, by the latest manga chapter, but rest assured the plot from now on will be original. Look forward to the updates, I will do my best to update regularly. I was thinking weekly or maybe every two weeks? I'll try to make the chapters long and filled with action/adventure/romance. _

_Read and Review! Flames accepted! I like constructive criticism. __J_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**_Feelings_**

_"Because I long for you..."

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I felt Karin's eyes following me as I made my way out of the cabin and toward the stream. Our eight hour journey to this cabin was exhausting and difficult. Two injured women traveling at high speed with low chakra. Neither of us had energy to complain, let alone have a casual conversation. A part of me was actually grateful for the fatigue.

We'd rested for a full day. Karin was almost fully healed, and her chakra supply was replenishing with the herbs and berries I gathered while she slept. My body recovered much quicker than hers and I required much less sleep, which left the look out duty to me.

I'd expected Kakashi-sensei and the others to have caught up with us by now. I knew we weren't that far ahead of them, and they had Kiba and Akamaru's sense of smell, as well as Sai's ink tracking creatures. They could have easily caught us, but there was absolutely no sign of any human activity in this area.

"Hey." Karin called out quietly from the door of the cabin. She held onto the frame for support. "Where are you going?"

"The river." I replied. "I want to clean up before we head out again." I looked up at her, noticing how she was rubbing her muscles, wincing every now and then. "You know, it might be good for you if you come along and stretch your muscles in the water."

"You think?" I nodded and she followed me like a child following her mother. It unnerved me a little at how easily this woman trusted me. Was it because I'd healed her that she felt so attached to me, or was it simply because she was abandoned and had no one else?

Either way, I was stuck with her, at least until we reached Konoha.

The sound of the running river was soothing and I instantly began to undress. I felt her eyes on me and heard her gasp when I pulled off the belt around my waste and peeled off the bloodied sleeveless, red shirt. The scar I'd received from Naruto last year was still fresh on my shoulder, but I knew that wasn't what caught her attention.

Three months ago, I'd accepted an S-ranked mission in the Land of Lightning. It was a surveillance mission on one of the feudal lords. He was a drug dealer, illegal smuggler, and he kidnapped women from neighboring countries to sell to whore houses as prostitutes. My job had been to pose as one of the kidnapped women and get inside. The plan was just to see the process by which he worked, where he took the women, where they were kept and how they were treated, etc. But the lord had taken a liking to me and ordered me to be his personal whore.

Things had not gone according to plan and we had to go on the offensive. But what none of us had expected was that the lord's wife was an excellent kunoichi. She found me in her husband's room right after I finished killing him, my hands and face wet with blood and tears.

She was anything but remorseful for his death, but she attacked me nonetheless. Caught off guard and in restricting clothing, I could not defend myself quickly enough.

The gash on my back was a reminder of my first S-ranked mission. It stretched from my upper right shoulder to my lower left back.

I ignored Karin's stare and continued to undress. Slipping off my boots and skirt, I proceeded to take off the fishnet shirt and leggings before stepping into the cool water.

My body welcomed the slowly moving current and I dipped my head under the water and ran my fingers through my pink hair.

I surfaced in time to see Karin step in the water. Her figure was anything but ugly. She didn't have my hourglass figure, but hers wasn't anything to be ashamed of. She had smooth long legs and a bust that would drive any man crazy. Her long red hair was strange, cut unevenly and messy, but it somehow suited her.

She caught my gaze and raised an eyebrow.

"Like what you see?" I snorted.

"Sorry, you're not my type."

"Hm." She let out a sigh as she sank into the water. We silent, then, each to her own thoughts. I found myself thinking of Konoha and what I was going to tell Danzo about my encounter with Sasuke.

The thought of addressing Danzo as Hokage was revolting. The creepy old man had a bad vibe around him and I didn't trust him in the least. I would tell him the bare minimum, I decided. That I met with Sasuke briefly but he'd flown off before I could get any information from him.

I froze. Sasuke's goal was to destroy Konoha. I had to warn them…didn't I? I had to tell them to prepare for battle…

But, as powerful as Sasuke was, he couldn't possibly wage a war against the Land of Fire without backup. Unless…he was going after certain people in Konoha, people in charge or something. But for what reason?

I had to find out. As soon as we arrive at Konoha, I would leave Karin in the custody of the ANBU or the interrogation squads just to get her off my hands. Since she'd done nothing illegal to harm Konoha, she should be safe…legally. My first duty would be to report to Danzo.

_I'll go to the Library…there must be something that could hint at the Uchiha Massacre or something there. The only thing I'd ever heard about the Uchiha clan had been from my parents, Kaka-sensei and Sasuke himself. That doesn't really give me much information as to what would drive Sasuke to destroy Konoha. Uchiha Itachi was the one who killed the clan, but Sasuke had already killed him. _I frowned. _Shouldn't this mean that he's completed his mission?_

"What are you thinking about?" Karin's voice nearly made me jump out of my skin.

"Er, Sasuke…" I replied, blushing slightly. Her eyes studied me closely and I noticed a hint of irritation and jealousy in them.

"You love him." It was a statement. A fact, even she knew. I nodded, frowning as I felt my heart speed up and clench tightly just at the thought of him.

"You love him too." I countered.

"I do." She said it with so much confidence and conviction. In that instant, I felt as though she was challenging me, daring me to profess that my love for him was stronger than hers. My eyes narrowed, and I suddenly liked her a lot less.

"You showed up yesterday to kill him, didn't you?" She said, rubbing her right palm up and down her left arm, scrubbing the dirt off. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Was she stupid? "Sasuke is a criminal. It's my duty to kill him."

"Duty?" She snapped. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" My eye twitched. "This is the man you love and you're trying to kill him because of _duty_?" She snorted. "Fuck that."

"A shinobi's to his or her country and village come above everything else." I said quietly. "Sasuke had many chances to turn back. He had many chances to be forgiven, but he threw all of that back for the sake of _revenge_."

"Wow." She sighed. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about competition, now."

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious that we're not even competing for him on the same level. You don't even _understand_ him."

My blood boiled. "And _you do?_"

"Of course I do. I understand exactly why he's doing what he's doing and he is absolutely right to do it." She said smugly. "How can you expect him to return your feelings if you don't even know him?"

"I know him…" My voice was soft, but sounded more confident than I truly felt inside. "…and I've given up the silly idea of him loving me a long time ago…when he tried to kill me."

"Hm." She smiled. "Well, that's good to hear." The sappy happiness in her voice made me want to shove her head under the water and laugh my heart out as she drowned.

"So, why exactly is he doing what he's doing?" I asked quietly, hoping she'd trust me enough to spill.

"If Sasuke hasn't confided that in you, there must be a reason for it." She started rubbing her legs. "For good reason, too, because you'd probably run back to your village and spill everything to your _Hokage_."

"Danzo's not the Hokage." I snapped at her tone when she said the word. "He's just a temporary leader until we have elections again."

"Did you say Danzo?" Her fan girl expression was replaced by confusion.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Danzo's dead." Her expression twisted into one of hurt as she massaged the placed where her wound was. "Sasuke killed him a while before you showed up."

"He's dead?" My mind spun around. The Hokage was killed by Sasuke. But why? Why would Sasuke do this? If the Konoha leaders found out about this, he'd never get a chance to come back to the village!

"Shit."

"Tell me something." Karin spoke again. "If it comes down to it, do you really think you could kill Sasuke? If strength and skill weren't a factor…if you were evenly matched in everything, do you honestly believe you could deliver the final blow that would end his life?"

What a stupid question. Of course I believe I could kill him. What would possibly stop me from killing him?

Yes, I wanted to say. Yes, I could kill him.

But the words wouldn't pass through my lips.

She noticed my hesitation and her expression softened.

"You can't, can you? I guess you really do love him." She sighed. "I don't think I could kill him either."

Her words irritated me and I walked out of the stream without another glance in her direction.

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"Hey! Naruto!"

Said shinobi glanced back over his shoulder and gave a weak smile.

"Hey, Shikamaru." The shadow ninja frowned at his friend's tone. Every word was laced with immense sadness, pain and longing.

"So, what are you doing just standing here?" Shikamaru followed Naruto's gaze back to the gates. It has been the same for the past two weeks. Every day, after his training, Naruto would make his way to the gates and stand in front of them for hours at a time, just watching, waiting.

"I had a feeling Sakura-chan's coming home today." Shikamaru sighed. The same answer. Everyday, it was the same answer.

"How about we go get some lunch? Ino and Choji are waiting in Ichiraku." Shikamaru put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Come on, it's my treat."

"Alright, thanks Shikamaru." Naruto gave him a weak grin and followed him back into the village.

"Yeah, yeah." Shikamaru sighed, inwardly grateful he was able to get a reaction from the blond. "Just do me a favor and don't spend _all_ of my money. I have bills to pay too, you know."

Naruto forced out a laugh and a grin.

"Of course now. I'd never do that." He threw his fist in the air. "Yeah! Let's eat some _ramen!!_"

Shikmaru rolled his eyes as Naruto started running for the ramen shop.

"Ah, what I do for that kid…"

Outside the village, Naruto sighed in relief.

_The shadow clone should give me at least a few hour's head start_. He thought, heading deeper into the forest. _Sorry, Shikamaru. I know you're being a good friend, but I can't just sit around eating ramen and moping while Sakura-chan and Sasuke are out there. _

Naruto was thinking about his last encounter with Sasuke. It was on top of the floating ruins the Sky Country used as a weapon. Sasuke had helped him save the villagers as well as Hinata, whether intentionally or not didn't matter. Sasuke had been the best friend he was willing to die for. Sasuke, at the time, had fought with him as though they were allies, killing off the Zero Tailed demon.

Naruto thought back to what he said to Sasuke that day after he made him escape the ruins.

"_I'll definitely bring you back to Konoha_."

"I promised Sakura-chan!" Naruto whispered to himself, eyes shining with determination. "I promised her I'd get him back! And I promised Sasuke I'd bring him back! And I never go back on my word!"

Just as he said that, a scream echoed up ahead of him.

"What the --" He swerved on his heel and headed toward the voice, all the while, repeating in his mind: _Sakura-chan, please be alright!_

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"Damn it!" I cursed, spitting out blood. "Karin! Can't you fight?!"

"Shut up, _pinkie!_ I'm still injured and I don't have any weapons!" The red-head snapped. My eye twitched, but I bit back my sarcastic response as I ducked, avoiding a flying kunai.

_Alright. Enough of this_. I thought. I punched the tree closest to me and grabbed the trunk just as it began cracking. Pumping chakra to my arms, I pulled the tree out of the ground and swung it like a baseball bat.

"Shit!"

"What the hell?!"

"Ahh!!"

The noisy bastards were caught off guard, not expecting that I could swing something of that size at that speed.

I hear four soft thumps followed by 'oofs' as the men flew back into the trees, effectively being knocked unconscious. I tossed the tree back on the ground and wiped my forehead.

"What the hell are Grass shinobi doing within Konoha's borders?" I hissed. "Is this an attack?"

"Jeez…" Karin walked up beside me. "Who knew you'd be _that much_ of a freak." My glare was the only indication I gave her that I'd heard her comment. Freak, my ass. My freakiness was what save _both_ our asses.

"This is strange." I whispered, walked closer to the bodies. "Only four of them. That means, if this is an attack, they were just scouting the perimeter."

"So let's hurry up and get into the village!"

"The others would have heard your scream." I looked pointedly at her and she crossed her arms in defiance. "Let's hurry. I have a ba--" My eyes widened as the bodies of the shinobi slowly began to melt.

"What the --"

I half expected the bodies to turn into water or mud clones, but the bodies merely melted, as though the flesh, bones and organs were merely being melted. Blood mixed with liquid flesh in a horrendous puddle. Behind me, I heard Karin spill that morning's breakfast on the ground.

I kept staring at the bodies, unable to move my eyes away when something caught my eye. I moved closer despite the nausea that hit me like a wave. There was something red and square in the middle of the melted flesh. There was a wire at the end of it which was connected to the flesh. Suddenly, the wire was engulfed in flame.

"Shit!!"

Glancing at the other puddles, I noticed the same thing.

"Karin! Move!" By the size of the explosives, I knew they were bound to pack a mean punch. There was no way in our current position, we would be able to cross the bridge to Konoha and get far enough away to be safe.

We were out of the forest when I heard his voice.

"Naruto!" I shouted, happy to see him but terrified that he was coming our way. "Go back! Go back!!" Karin came up behind me, breathing heavily, barely able to stand. _Damn it! They'll never make it!_

I pulled out the red scroll from my pouch and handed it to Karin. She looked at me, confused and exhausted. I was sure she was going to pass out at any moment.

"Take this and don't give it to anyone but _Kakashi_. Remember that name. Hatake Kakashi. Got it?" I hissed. She nodded frantically, holding the scroll tightly to her chest.

The bombs exploded one by one. I looked back into the forest and my eyes widened. A wall of reddish black flame was charging right at us. The heat wave was clearing the path, pushing away any debris and such and the flame followed right behind, devouring and killing everything in its path.

"We only have one shot." I hissed, grabbing Karin's shirt.

"What the hell!?"

"Naruto!!" The blond stopped and looked at me. "_Catch!!_" I poured all of my chakra into my arm and used the momentum of the heat wave to launch Karin's body toward Naruto.

Her scream was the last thing I heard as the heat surrounded me and pushed me over the cliff. Fire licked at my uncovered skin, but I was too exhausted to feel the pain. I was falling…for so long.

_Naruto…_I thought_. You better be alright, you idiot. _

My body connected with something solid, and I was sure I died at that moment, because it felt as though I was floating.

I forced my eyes open and saw blue skies and fluffy, white clouds.

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Kakashi was on his way to the Hokage tower when he noticed something was wrong. The explosion near the bridge made him stop in his tracks.

"Hatake-san!" A shinobi called out from behind them. "There have been random enemy encounters all around the village borders. Our only orders so far are to patrol the perimeter and guard the village."

The shinobi's teammates ran past him, Sai, Lee, Kiba and Akamaru without so much as a glance.

"And the Hokage? What has he said?" Kakashi's eyes narrowed at the shinobi's hesitation. His mind strayed to the piece of cloth in his pocket.

"The Hokage has yet to return, Hatake-san." The man said. "We were told he was…well, he was with you. I was told to search for you both and tell you to head to the Hokage Tower."

"Who said the Hokage was with Kakashi?!" Kiba snapped. "We've been with him the entire time and we haven't seen or heard from the Hokage!"

The shinobi looked confused. He was about to question them when Kakashi spoke.

"You've accomplished your assignment." He said. "We'll head straight to the Hokage Tower, you can follow your teammates." The man hesitated a bit before speeding away.

"Kakashi-san…what do you think is going on?" Lee asked.

"It seems that someone decided to use the confusion over who's going to be Hokage as an opportunity to attack the village." Kakashi said thoughtfully.

"Hai, but what about Danzo-sama?" Sai stepped up facing Kakashi. "Do you know something, Kakashi-san?"

"Let's get to the Tower." Kakashi said, not even hearing Sai's questions. Sai watched them sprint toward the tower with narrowed eyes. Something wasn't right.

It took them seventeen minutes to reach the tower. The streets were cleared and only shinobi and ANBU filled the village. The civilians were told to stay inside just in case of an attack. Beneath the village was a series of tunnels, connecting each house and shop underground. The villagers were taught for many years to use this escape route whenever there was an attack, to use the secret door leading into the tunnels and move toward the Hokage Monument, where they would be safest.

The Hokage Tower was bustling with shinobi and secretaries running back and forth trying to figure out what to do now that the Hokage was nowhere to be found.

Kakashi led the three younger men up to the top floor and to the Hokage's room. The green door opened to reveal a room full of grave faces and a frantic red head.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto spoke, the relief in his voice did nothing to cover up the grief and pain on his face.

"Kakashi?!" The red head jumped up from her chair. "Hatake Kakashi?!"

"Do I know you?" The Jounin stiffened when she ran over to him, reaching behind her. Instantly, Kiba, Lee, and Sai had their weapons at her throat.

"Well, _shit_, I'm not trying to kill him!" Karin snapped, trying to hide her fear with anger. "It's a scroll for Hatake Kakashi. It's from Sakura."

All eyes in the room widened in shock. A woman in a blue robe stepped up. Karin tightened her grip on the scroll as the woman reached out her hand.

"No! This is for Hatake Kakashi only!"

"Be silent, insolent child." The woman snapped, hand still outstretched. "I won't open it. I just need to make sure it doesn't conceal a weapon."

Karin glanced back at Naruto, who nodded, before handing over the scroll.

The woman's hand glowed a deep purple then she tossed the scroll to Kakashi.

"It's safe." She said coldly.

"Thank you, Inoue-san." Kakashi slowly opened the scroll and scanned through the scroll, his one eye widening for a split second before he sighed in confirmation. The scroll instantly caught fire and exploded. Kakashi sighed and looked at Karin.

"You were with Sakura?" She nodded, glaring at the men still surrounding her with their weapons. "Alright then. Until further notice, you're our guest. Hinata, would you kindly take her to the med-center?" Hinata, who had been standing a little behind Naruto nodded and motioned for Karin to follow her.

"Kakashi, what's the meaning of this?" It was Gai who spoke. Kakashi glanced around the room before landing his gaze on Naruto's tortured blue eyes.

"Sakura's scroll confirmed my suspicions…" He said. "It seems that Danzo has been killed."

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**_A/N: _**_Well, there's chapter two. I hope there was enough dialogue, action and drama in it for you all to enjoy. Read and review, and I'll be looking forward to your constructive criticism. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**_Truth_**

_"Because you're always beside me..."

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Searing pain was the first thing that registered in her mind as she regained consciousness. Flaming hot pain, centered mostly in her mid-back, spread throughout her body as she shifted in an effort to relieve the numbness spreading through her arms. She tilted her head back, blinking to clear her vision. How long had she been asleep? Her emerald green eyes darted around, trying to see in the darkness of the night. She pushed her arms up against the ground and winced visibly when another wave of pain shot through her.

She gauged her chakra supply. Her body had instantly started to heal on its own, one of the benefits of being a talented medic, but her chakra supply was extremely low. It would take her at least a full two days of rest to replenish her chakra, as well as some food and water. Her most serious injury was clearly her back, where the pain was centered. She closed her eyes and tried to channel her chakra to make sure that she had no other serious wounds. Her shoulder muscles were torn on her right arm, and her lungs suffered quite a bit from the smoke in the forest, as a result of the explosions.

At the moment, she could do nothing for her injuries that her body wasn't automatically doing. Any more chakra exertion would only serve to harm her instead of heal her.

She ignored the pain and pushed herself up on her elbows, twisting her head left and right in an effort to identify her location.

She was in what looked like a miniature cabin. Across from the cot she was lying on, there was what resembled a kitchen. There was a sink, some appliances on the small counter and a fridge next to the stove. The cabin itself was clearly not used often, she mused as she took note of the rust and dust on every surface. There was something on the stove, meaning someone had brought her here...and had recently been in the cabin with her.

Sakura was instantly on high alert. She closed her eyes and focused her other senses. She heard owls, meaning that she was in a dense forest and it was nighttime. The darkened curtain covering the only window in the structure made it impossible to know the time otherwise. Owls and creaking noises as the trees shook from the strength of the wind. It was almost unnatural to have such strong winds in a dense forest, which meant that the cabin was situated in a high altitude, on a mountain top, or, on an island that has no shelter from strong wind.

She decided it was a mountain, this breed of birds only lived on the mainland.

She sniffed the air. The stifling smell of molding wood and rust mixed with the smell of dirt from outside made her eyes water and her body shake as she coughed to clear her lungs. Pain shot through her and she clenched her teeth, trying to push just enough chakra through her lungs so she could breathe.

She blinked through her tears and resumed her assessment of the situation. She couldn't sense any immediate danger, she was alone for the time being. Deciding to take a quick look outside, she pushed herself up, clenching her teeth as pain and nausea hit her at once. She held onto the wall behind her for support, pressing her left hand against her temple in an effort to relieve the dizziness. She stumbled forward and tripped on the blanket that was covering her moments before.

"Ugh!" She pushed herself up on her knees. "Damn it!"

She touched her left ear and winced. She felt immense pain at the slightest touch on the area that connected the bottom of her ear to her jaw joint. She moved her jaw to the side, cursing mentally from the pain. She guessed her inner ear was damaged from the explosion, the sonic boom more precisely.

_That's why I don't have any balance..._She thought as she pushed herself upright again. She moved cautiously and slowly, at a snail's pace, and made her way toward one of the only two doors in the cabin. She hesitated once she reached the one farthest from the kitchen, staring at the rusted knob. But she forced aside her disgust and turned the knob slowly, biting her lip as it made a squealing noise from the lack of use.

A bathroom greeted her. There was a sink, a broken mirror, a toilet and a traditional, wooden bathtub that was, momentarily, devoid of water. The urge to fill it to the brim with hot, steamy water and just soak in it for hours was almost too strong to resist. But her kunoichi instincts demanded that she ensure her safety in this foreign place before letting her guard down and relaxing.

The door squealed shut and she made her way slowly to the only other remaining door.

A few feet to the right, she spotted a small table right under the window. There were books stacked up against the wall, but she couldn't make out the titles in the darkness. There were scrolls spread out, covering the entire table. She didn't stop to look, and continued to the door.

She pushed the door open and was met with soothing, cool air. She felt more relaxed outside, smelling the earth and pine, a complete contrast to the thick musky, smell of the cabin. She made her way around to the back, where she found a small generator connecting wires into the ground to, she guessed, the fridge and stove.

She stood there for what felt like an eternity, listening to the hum of the generator, the whistling of the wind through the trees, the sound of leaves and branches brushing against one another, the hoots of owls hidden in the dark. It was peaceful, and she found herself wondering if it was a dream...or if she truly was dead and this was some strange version of heaven.

She'd fallen. She remembered that much, falling after the explosion. She'd thrown Karin at Naruto then the force of the flames and wind had pushed her off the edge of the cliff. So how did she not die? The drop was a good eighteen-hundred feet. Nothing in the world could survive a fall like that.

She rubbed her arms and walked back inside, deciding there was no use in asking petty questions with no way of getting any answers. Someone must have saved her and brought her here, wherever 'here' was. They'd applied some medicinal creme on her back and left food on the stove, but...no one was coming back.

She sat on the cot again and sighed. Her body begged for rest, and her back ached with numbing pain. She needed to replenish her chakra quickly and head back to Konoha. She laid down on her front, careful not to further injure her back and closed her eyes, the sound of the wind lulling her to sleep.

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It was around dawn when Sakura woke, and still, there was no one in sight. She stood slowly, her body stiff from the awkward way she'd slept the night before. She reached her arms out and moved her fingers, relishing in the feeling of her muscles stretching. She shifted her back and winced. The pain was not as sharp as it had been the night before, but she was still a long way from being able to heal it. Her lungs were her first priority. She needed to clear them before there was any permanent or fatal damage.

Her stomach growled, and she made her way to the fridge. It creaked open and she frowned. There was nothing there but fruit: peaches, mostly, and some grapes and apples. Shrugging, she reached for an apple and turned the faucet on, cleaning the fruit before sinking her teeth into it. She sighed in contentment as the sweet juices filled her mouth and satisfied her taste buds. She reached for the pot on the stove, uncovering it to find what she was sure would be soup.

Her eyes narrowed._ It's still warm..._

She recovered the pot and walked to the door leading outside, her sharp eyes scanning the silent forest for any movement or sign of human activity. She found none. Whoever was helping her clearly did not want to be found out, but she just could not understand why.

She tossed the apple remains outside, grateful that it was biodegradable, for she did not see any trashcan inside the cabin.

Back inside, Sakura hummed to herself as she turned on the water to fill the tub, every cell in her body anticipating the soothing effects a bath would have on her. It was only when she was stark naked that she realized she had neither a change of clothing, nor a towel.

"Well..." She whispered to herself as she placed one foot into the water. "since whoever lives here doesn't want to show up while I'm awake, then there's no problem if I just cover myself with the blanket." That idea was immediately shot down when she realized she didn't know who or what had used that blanked before her. _I'll just clean my undies,_ she thought, sighing as she sank lower into the tub. _It's fine as long as -_

Her eyes snapped open and a vulgar curse left her lips. She instantly stood up from the water, cursing herself for her stupidity. Her back was still raw and almost bleeding and she'd stupidly exposed it to high temperature water.

"Damn it!" She glared at her reflection in the water. "I can't even take a nice, relaxing _bath_ for pity's sake!" Pouting, she leaned forward, angling her body so that her entire back was completely out of the water. She ran her hands up and down her body, scrubbing as much dirt, sweat and grime off her body as she could without soap.

Irritated, sore and in pain, her mood got worse by the minute. She wanted to be healed and on her way home, but she didn't know where she was or if there were enemies outside. If she left like this, she'd be a sitting duck. Her movements would be limited because of her back and she'd be unable to escape enemy pursuit with her lungs in this condition.

Her thoughts drifted to Naruto and everyone back in Konoha. Knowing Naruto, he'd have demanded a search party by now and started looking for her mindlessly. Despite all his antics and hyper activeness, he truly and deeply cared for her. He loved her, and his love was something she would never be deserving of. She'd feigned ignorance of his feelings for years, turning the other cheek and blinding herself to the affection that nearly spilled out of his eyes whenever he looked at her. She could have accepted his feelings. She could have run into his arms and been enveloped in an endless ocean of love and warmth and protection. Instead, she chose to chase after a man who, to this day, saw her as nothing more than an annoyance. Like a piece of chewed up gum stuck on the bottom of his shoes, refusing to let go no matter how many times he'd stepped on her.

But she couldn't help it. She couldn't help the way her heart sped every time he looked at her, or the ridiculous desire to kiss him every time she laid her eyes on him. She couldn't help that she yearned for his acceptance and his attention, trying to find new ways to impress him, no matter how many times she failed.

She'd often pictured herself getting married one day, dreamed up a fantasy man who would whisk her off her feet and carry her away into the sunset and they'd live happily ever after without a care in the world. But those dreams quickly faded and she found that she could not dilute herself from reality. She would probably never get married, for the life of a shinobi was normally a short one and death awaited shinobi even as they slept. And the idea of a fantasy man who would whisk her off her feet and carry her into the sunset was completely ludicrous. There was no man for her, she'd concluded soon enough, other than Uchiha Sasuke. And Uchiha Sasuke would never whisk anyone off her feet, let alone _her._ She was doomed to a life without the love of the man who had a tight hold on her own heart, whether he wanted it or not, the latter being the most plausible.

She felt the water getting cold and the sunlight streaming into the bathroom from under the door, giving the tiny room a golden shine that made everything sparkle. She was in no mood to appreciate the sudden change in the scenery and merely stood from the tub, pulling the plug out of the drain, and watched the water disappear bit by bit.

She stood there, in the middle of the bathroom, staring at her reflection in the broken mirror in front of her. Cool air streamed in through the cracks on the door and she felt goosebumps cover her skin. She had no towel, and no desire to redress in her only clothes while still wet. Air drying was her only solution. Her eyes grazed over her skin, fingers following slowly, touching each scar, remembering each battle that left a mark on her.

_Naruto..._She touched the scar on her right shoulder, eyes downcast as she remembered the first time she saw him overtaken by the demon inside of him. She'd been helpless, as always, and merely got in the way. She had to rely on Yamato-senpai to save her and then Kabuto had healed her because she'd been in too much of a shock to heal herself.

_Useless._

_Useless._

_Weak._

_Weak._

The words echoed in her mind again and again, taunting her and bringing back past fears and memories she'd tried so hard to submerge in a sea of pleasant lies, blissfully deceiving. Her eyes hardened as she looked back up at her face.

_No more._ She thought._ The weak Sakura is gone. I don't need anyone's protection. I am no longer weak._

With that, she picked up her clothes and put on her shorts first before looking at her shirt. The back was burned and bloodied. She could _not_ wear it again. She sighed and glanced at her back in the mirror, wincing at the sight of the wound. It stretched from the bottom of her neck down to her lower back, curving around to the sides of her ribs. The flesh was a reddish pink, meaning there was no sign of infection, but with any sudden movement, the thin layer of pink tissue could break, and the bleeding would start all over again, making it easy to get infections if nothing worse. She had to be careful, at least until her chakra supply replenished.

She picked up her messed up shirt and held it to her front, suddenly feeling shy about walking out of the bathroom with her breasts bare. As expected, there was no one around. She made her way to the desk she'd passed earlier and looked around the scrolls, searching for the ointment that was put on her back before she'd woken up. Instead, her eyes glanced at one of the scrolls absentmindedly and she froze.

The writing was familiar. The perfect penmanship, the elegant curves of the letters and kanji.

It was..._his_ writing...

It was -

The door to her left creaked open and her eyes snapped up, her right hand instinctively reaching for a weapon, but only found a pen, while her left hand tightened around the shirt covering her front.

Her green orbs widened, almost doubling in size at the sight of the magnificent creature in front of her, eying her indifferently.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

He regarded her silently for, she counted, three quick breaths before walking inside.

She stared after him, unable to believe that he was truly there.

"Sasuke?" She repeated.

He glanced at her over his shoulder, annoyance clearly written on his face.

"Hn."

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Three hours had passed since he'd walked back into her life, threw ointment at her, almost causing her to reveal her chest, and they'd been sitting in silence ever since. After applying the ointment to her burn, with great difficulty and plenty of grumbling and cursing, Sakura had sat back on the cot and fiddled with her fingers, occasionally glancing up at him, only to look back down at her feet and bite her lip.

She could not wrap her mind around the idea that Sasuke -_yes, Uchiha Sasuke -_ had been the one to catch her when she fell, and care for her while she was unconscious. He'd been the one to put fresh fruit in the fridge, and warmed up the soup, that she had yet to get around to tasting. He'd been the one who'd set up a perimeter around the cabin, whether to ensure her safety or his, she wasn't sure, but indirectly, he protected her from unknown dangers by bringing her here.

_Why?_ She kept asking herself, juggling theories around in her mind. _Maybe he's still injured and needs medical assistance? _She glanced up at him again, searching for any visible signs of pain. None. _Maybe he saved me this time...so he could enjoy the kill later?_ She almost snorted at this. Sasuke was not a man to enjoy games. If he wanted to kill someone, he would kill them without delay. _But,_ her eyes fell again._ To him, I'm probably not even worth taking the time to kill._

The thought sparked anger in her and her chakra flared.

He was in front of her instantly, but she'd sensed his reaction. Sharingan glowered down at her menacingly as his right hand held her throat tightly, pushing her head back against the wall. She'd angled her body so that her right arm would support her weight, keeping her back off the wall, while her left arm held onto his right, the one that held the kunai just inches from her face. She'd reached out her leg to kick him away, but was not able to fully kick it out. Instead, her right leg was bent at the knee, and the heel of her bare foot was just centimeters from his throat.

They glared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Sakura felt sweat beading down her face again and she let out an irritated sigh. Her arm was straining from supporting her weight, and she felt beads of blood trickling down her back. Her wound must have reopened from the sudden shift of her movements.

"Ugh." She shifted again, lowering her leg and arm. She knew full well that had Sasuke wanted to kill her, there was nothing she could do in her current condition that would change that outcome. She watched him silently, waiting for him to pull away so she could move to a position that would not put a strain on her back.

Sure enough, after a few seconds of glares filled with hatred, he pulled away, putting his kunai back into his pouch and returning to his original position at the table, leaning against the wall, staring out the window.

Sakura took deep breaths and leaned forward, grateful that the blanket she was using to cover herself had not fallen and revealed her chest to him during that exchange. She grabbed her torn shirt and gently dabbed it against her back to stop the bleeding. Once she was done, she tossed it back on the floor at her feet and closed her eyes, concentrating her chakra into her right hand.

_Good. _She thought as she placed her hand on her chest._ My chakra is almost fully restored. I can heal my lungs as well as my arm and some of my back today, but I shouldn't push it, just in case..._ She stopped that thought, not wanting to even think about having to defend herself from the man before her. She pushed her chakra past the cloth of the blanket, through her skin, past the tissue, veins, through the ribs, and into the lungs. Normally, had she had a full supply of chakra at her disposal and had the situation been different, she would have removed the smoke from her lungs by forcibly moving it through the airways and out of her throat and nose. She would just accelerate the exhaling action and force the smoke out that way. It was the safer way, but it was also more difficult and more time consuming. She opted for disintegrating the smoke within her lungs. Should anything go wrong or should she get distracted, she could injure her lungs further, ripping the tissue and possibly permanently damaging her airways.

Twenty minutes later, she placed her hand back on her lap and took a deep breath, smiling at a job well done. The air instantly tasted better and her lungs felt fuller. Her mind cleared up and she didn't feel as sluggish anymore. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the man in front of her and she was shocked to see his sharingan watching her calmly.

She raised an eyebrow in silent question, but paid him no further attention as she placed her left hand on her right shoulder and commenced healing the tissue and ripped muscle. This process was much simpler and she was done in half the time. She turned her attention to her back, focusing just enough chakra in that area to heal the wound enough to stop the pain. She didn't want to push herself. Glancing at Sasuke again, she found herself wondering if she would have to defend against him.

The silence dragged on, and unanswered questions filled her mind.

Feeling her eyes on him, Sasuke turned to her, his eyes their regular metallic color, his lips set in a relaxed line, his entire expression one of complete ease and indifference.

It angered her, and she wanted to illicit a response from the stoic man.

"You caught me." She spoke, proud that her voice sounded as confident as she wanted it to. He blinked but said nothing. She glared. "_Why_ did you save me, Sasuke?"

She half expected him to turn away and ignore her.

But he didn't.

"A life for a life." He replied calmly, his eyes never leaving hers. "You had a chance to seriously injure me that day..." She felt anger bubbling in her veins. She didn't have a chance to _seriously injure him._ She could have _killed _him! But she knew he would never admit that someone he considered to be more insignificant than an ant could possibly kill him. "...but you decided to do the opposite."

"Hmph!" She crossed her arms in front of her. _You better be grateful you bastard!_

"Although your actions were an example of your weakness." He continued, a cocky smirk on his face. "Your healing abilities restored my strength so that I could dispose of some...annoyances I'd encountered later on quite easily."

"I think thanks are in order." She snapped.

They stared at each other, neither saying a word.

Her eyes narrowed. She should have known that he would never show gratitude, even if he did imply that her healing him actually saved his sorry ass.

"Karin..." The quietness of his voice startled her. For a moment, she almost thought it sounded as though he sounded gentle when he said her name. "...You saved her life, to get information I presume?" Sakura said nothing. "Where is she now? She was with you until that explosion right?"

"Why do you care where she is?" Sakura snapped quietly. "She was your teammate and you would have killed her if I got there just a second later!"

"I don't care." He replied.

"But -" Fists clenched. "She's your_ teammate!_"

"And?" His eyes were cold again. "So were you and Naruto, once upon a time. But that didn't stop me from almost ending his life all those years ago, or almost ending yours the last time we met." She was furious, yet torn at the same time. Kakashi was right...this wasn't the Sasuke she knew.

"...But _why_?" Sakura hissed. "I saw the teethmarks all over her body. Every time you needed it she would give you her chakra. She saved your ass and you were willing to kill her!"

"She is no longer of use to me." He replied evenly. "Tell me her location and I will dispose of her."

"Like a tissue right?" Sakura let out a cold chuckle. "Use it up, wipe all your shit on it then toss it aside when you're done."

"Tools are disposed of when they have served their purpose."

"She loves you." Sakura whispered it, and it pained her to say it. He regarded her coldly.

"She is a nuisance,

He said nothing. "Just...when did you become like this?"

"I have always been this way, Sakura. You just chose not to see it."

"_Don't_ give me that _bull!_" She snapped. "I _know_ you Sasuke. Whether you acknowledged me as such or not, we were -_ are -_ friends! I've always been watching you! I saw every move you made! I noticed what made you smile, what made you frown, what made you angry, what annoyed you, what excited you! I saw _everything._" She felt the tears welling up and let out a frustrated scream, willing them away. "I know you, Sasuke. And you are not the kind of person that uses people."

He'd listened to her little speech silently, eyes fixed on her stoically.

"Sakura...you are a fool."

Her eyes widened.

"The Sasuke you knew back then...was a blind child." He whispered. "He was ignorant and selfish, bent on destroying the one person that deserved to live."

"What...are you talking about?"

"You're as ignorant as I was. Blissfully so." Emerald met onyx. "But I've learned the truth and nothing will stand in my way."

"Your...way? Truth?" She sighed. "Just what are you talking about?"

"I will destroy Konoha, Sakura, and all its citizens. That includes you, Naruto, Kakashi...and everyone you love." His voice was cold, his eyes ruthless. "Maybe I'll leave you three for last...to make you understand the pain I had to endure."

"Sasuke..."

"I told you once before, Sakura." He stood, then, and she instantly tensed. "The next time we meet, we will be enemies and I will kill you. I will give you two more days to heal yourself, then I will lead you back to where you can find your way to Konoha."

He was almost at the door when she spoke again.

"I've also told you...Sasuke," She looked up at him, her eyes serious. "that the next time I see you, I will stand between you and my village. If need be, I will kill you as well."

He said nothing for a second, then reached out and opened the door.

"Oh, and Sasuke?" He didn't look back. "Bring me a shirt, would ya?"

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The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Sasuke had been out until nightfall, returning just as Sakura was about to fall asleep. She blinked, trying to force herself back to alertness. He walked past her without a word, tossing a dark bundle. She caught it effortlessly and was grateful to find that it was a new shirt.

"Thank you." she said, hating how much the simple act had warmed her heart. He'd only acquiesced to her request for a shirt, and she just about turned into a lovesick puppy.

He said nothing, only turning to look at her after he filled a glass with water and began to drink it. She held the shirt close to her chest, turning her head so that her short pink hair cascaded down her shoulder to create a barrier between her and his piercing eyes. She bit her lip, fatigue and pain served only to increase the emotional maelstrom in her mind and heart. Every fiber of her being, every cell in her body wanted nothing more than for him to give up revenge and hatred, and go back to Konoha with her. To be with her and let her love him. Let her heal him.

_But, _she thought bitterly. _would i be able to heal him? Would I be able to heal the wounds of his soul?_

She stood and made her way to the bathroom, the ends of the blanket she held around her torso dragging on the wooden floor. She shut the door quickly and leaned her forehead against it, teeth clenched in a fight to stop her tears threatening to fall.

Sasuke silently watched her enter the bathroom, his eyes fixed to her naked back. She'd allowed the blanket to fall down to her lower back so that it would not further injure her wound and had wrapped her front in a way to cover her chest.

Her earlier statements had done nothing to deter him from his goal. She'd merely repeated again what she, Naruto and Kakashi had been preaching to him since he'd first left Konoha. They were ignorant to the truth about the very village they were fighting to protect. The very village that they will die protecting in vain. He would make them all feel what he'd felt, what Itachi had felt. He will kill the other two elders after making them watch him burn down the very village they'd killed his clan to protect.

Fools, all of them. And Madara was a fool as well to believe that Sasuke was his pawn.

He will kill them all, one by one, slowly and painfully.

"Sasuke."

Her voice shocked him, though it didn't show. He hadn't heard her exit the bathroom. His eyes narrowed at her as she stood in front of the closed door, blanket folded in her hands. The shirt he'd gotten her was large. He hadn't actually paid attention to the size, nor did he care if it fit her or not, but his eyes were drawn to her legs, which appeared to be naked because the shirt was longer than her shorts.

Her large doe-eyes shifted to him, glittering, brimmed with the tears she was holding back. Her moods confused him. One moment, she was explosive, shaking from holding back her urge to punch him through the ground, and the next, she was standing a yard away from him, looking so vulnerable and weak with her tears.

"Sasuke." She repeated, as though to give herself confidence in what she was about to say. He waited, but his patience was wearing thin, and he wanted to sleep.

"Aa."

The way he responded was so much like their genin days that Sakura couldn't fight back the tears. She let them fall as she felt her heart clenching and releasing painfully in her chest. She didn't want him to see. She didn't want him to see her tears again, to think her weak and pitiful. Hurriedly, she ran the back of her hands across her cheeks, effectively wiping away any trace of the clear liquid that was there seconds before. She took a deep breath.

"You're important to me." She said quietly, and Sasuke nearly sighed as he waited for the speech that was sure to follow. "You're important to me...so I want to help you."

That caught him off guard.

"What?"

"I want to help you." She repeated, her eyes serious as she watched him. "In any way I can."

Then she walked and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Those long creamy legs that poked out of the extra long shirt he'd gotten her. He couldn't pull his gaze away from them. Toned and smooth; her steps were confident as she made her way to the cot and placed the blanket down. He watched her, his eyes drifting up her legs to the other part of her that was displayed to him. Her ass. Although hidden under the shirt, he could see its outline, curvy and round, bubbly and tight. It made any man's junior twitch with desire.

"Won't you tell me...what I can do for you?" Her eyes pleaded with him and he couldn't help but notice the innocence in them. Despite all the years of being a kunoichi and all the men she'd killed, how could she still possess that innocence? Her eyes, those damned eyes, lined with thick long dark lashes that touched her skin with every blink. That soft, pink flesh of her cheeks, just a shade lighter than her silky hair. His eyes drank in every detail of her, from the single mole on the corner of her left eye to the way her hair curled a little at the tips.

He blinked.

"You'd only be a hindrance." He replied coldly. He was not affected. Definitely.

"You don't know that." She replied without missing a beat. "Please...explain to me this truth that you're talking about. What is it that's driving you to attack Konoha?" She took a step toward him and his eyes flickered to her legs before returning to her own. He felt it, the blood rushing to his member.

He. Was. Not. Affected.

_Fuck._

His eyes narrowed dangerously as she took another step.

"You said when we were younger that your goals were to revive your clan and kill your brother." She continued, completely oblivious to his arousal. Sasuke's eyes widened just a bit and just like that, his arousal completely deflated.

"What the hell...do you know about Itachi?" he hissed, moving closer to her. She sensed the change in his aura and took a step back. "You know nothing so don't you dare speak of him!"

"Sasuke, I'm just trying to underst-"

"You can't understand!" He snapped. "How could a person like you, with a family and friends, possibly understand anything about Itachi and I?"

"Sasuke I want to try -"

"Shut the fuck up!" It was the first time she'd heard him raise his voice and it unnerved her. No, it terrified her. He was just three feet away, glowering at her, chakra flaring. "You said you want to help me? You want to help me but you would stand in my way of destroying Konoha!"

"That can't be the only way!"

A demented smile appeared on his face and her breath caught in her throat.

"You fool." he hissed. "Blindly run back to your precious village. Enjoy it while you still can. When the time comes, Sakura, nothing will stop me from completing my mission."

"Just explain to me -"

"You want to know the truth?" He hissed. "Then when you reach Konoha, have a little chat with the elders. But of course, they won't say a word about Konoha's history. History written in Uchiha blood." Mangekyu flashed, glaring at her. She flinched, instincts telling her to turn away, not to trust him, that he was not her Sasuke.

He looked away then and for a moment, she thought she saw the old Sasuke in him. She caught a glimpse of the scared, lonely little boy who was torn away from everything he loved.

"Those gutless vermin won't spill a thing." He hissed. "But that won't matter. Whether you know what happened or not doesn't matter. It will not affect the outcome."

Then, he was gone and Sakura was alone in the darkness.

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_**A/N:** I hope that was enough SasuSaku for now! Sorry for the late update! Had midterms blah blah. I hope you enjoyed it! :) _


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**_Konoha_**

_"Because of a failed promise..."

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Sakura woke the next day fully replenished, but her mood was anything but positive. She'd replayed last night's conversation in her mind over and over again, trying to decipher his cryptic words. All the questions she'd tried to get answered only led to more questions that would remain unanswered. She furrowed her brow in frustration and stood, making her way to the kitchen for some breakfast.

This time, she found no warm soup waiting for her on the stove and no fresh fruit in the fridge. There was a bruised peach next to some grapes that didn't look all that appetizing. With a groan, she took out the peach and bit into it, forcing herself to eat so she would not pass out from malnutrition.

_Sasuke must be pissed..._She thought, making her way to the window, peach in hand. _He probably didn't come back the entire night. I wonder where he goes when he's not here._ Thinking of him made her feel conflicting emotions: happiness was always the initial feeling, sparking at even the thought of his name, then hurt would follow as she remembered all the pain she'd been put through, then anger and bitterness because despite all her and Naruto's efforts to bring him back, he refused to return, then...sorrow, the most painful of all, because she could not help the one she loved.

She felt restless and began to pace, her naked feet touching the cold wooden ground silently. She knew where her shoes were and had yet to put them on, content with leaving them under the table by the window. She didn't need them. She wasn't going anywhere until the next morning. Sasuke was smart enough not to trust her with her weapons, and she'd yet to find them. She guessed he'd taken them with him for safekeeping and would only return them to her once she was on her way home, if at all.

_Sasuke...what are y--_

"Ah!" She let out a yelp of surprise and picked up her right foot. Sure enough, a single dot of blood glared up at her from the center of her foot. "What...?" She quickly healed it before bending down to the ground. "A nail?" She poked the single, rusted nail sticking out of the ground. She pushed her hand against the floor and heard a creak. Her eyes widened.

She hovered her hand a centimeter above the loose floorboard and sure enough, she felt cool air leaking through.

_There's...something under here!_ Her heart sped at her discovery. _But how to pull this off without Sasuke finding out!_

She moved to the kitchen, looking for anything thin and sharp. She doubted Sasuke would have a knives around, especially while she was here, but even a fork or a spoon would do. Sure enough, in one of the drawers there were four spoons and three forks, cleaned and stacked neatly. She grabbed the sturdiest fork and moved back to the board with the nail sticking out.

_I have to do this and not damage the wood._ She thought as she stuck the fork between the boards, twisting and pulling at it to create enough space for her to pull it out. _Knowing Sasuke, he'd spot anything out of place within seconds. Especially with that Sharingan--_ Her eyes widened. _The Sharingan! That's probably why he didn't see the nail sticking out! I doubt he would have done that on purpose to mark the spot or something, he's too smart for that. He must have not seen it. The Sharingan must be draining his eye sight, just like Kakashi. _

The board let out a low groan when she finally pulled it free from the floor. She pulled it up slowly, sighing in relief when she saw no damage on it. She looked down and gasped in shock. There was a hole under where the board had been. The air coming out was damp and musky, probably the reason why the cabin smelled so stifling. Sakura started to work on the two boards on each side of the one she'd just removed, hoping to create an opening just big enough for her to slide through. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as excitement and anxiety coursed through her. She laid the boards next to the opening and slid her legs down into the hole.

The ground was rough and she glanced back to the desk. She made her way over, reaching under and putting her boots back on, feeling more like a shinobi now that she wasn't walking around barefoot. Her eyes scanned the empty scrolls on the table. She had no weapons with her and she didn't know what or who was at the end of the tunnel under the cabin. She took one of the scrolls and opened it, taking the brush that was on the table and writing the kanji for a summoning.

"Weapons." She whispered to herself. "I'll need to summon weapons. Katsuya would be no good underground. I don't know how deep that hole goes or how much space there is down there. In any case, with my chakra almost full and my injuries healed, I shouldn't have that much trouble dealing with regular shinobi, no matter how many there will be."

She placed the brush back and tucked the scroll in the top of her boots before heading back to the hole. She slid in, pouting when she had trouble getting her hips in._ I'm not gaining weight!_ She snapped at herself, rejecting the thought before it even formed in her mind. When her body was fully in the hole, she reached back out and pulled the boards back in place, effectively closing the opening, but leaving a crack so that she could open it again if she needed to.

She turned to look at the tunnel and took a deep breath. It was dark, the only light she could see was a few yards ahead and very weak. The tunnel was eerily familiar, reminding her of Orochimaru's lair_. _The thought that the snake was still alive and hiding deeper into the tunnel sent shivers throughout her body. She fought back her nausea and kept moving forward, passing the first light and followed the curving path.

The tunnel stretched forward and she could see several lights ahead, with a few yards' distance in between each. She sighed, quickening her steps. She had to get back to the cabin before Sasuke got back. She doubted he'd be back any time soon, he probably didn't want to see her at all, but she couldn't take that chance. She quickened to a steady jog, keeping her chakra sealed in case of trouble.

It was a good fifteen minutes later when she realized the scenery was changing. The lights were closer together, only separated by three feet now, and instead of the eerie yellow glow, there was white light coming from the lanterns and the walls were a light gray color. She hoped that the change meant she was getting closer to the end, but a part of her was anxious to see what awaited her once she got there.

The tunnel ended, the opening widening to a spacious room with high walls. She wondered where exactly she was, guessing that this room was somewhere deep under the mountains. The room was empty, at first glance. There were markings on the wall across from her, a good four hundred of them at least. The other walls were plain gray. In the center of the room was a table with --

She gasped, and made her way over, her steps cautious, anticipating a trap.

There was none. Whoever built this place, whether Sasuke or not, did not anticipate someone stumbling upon it.

She reached the table and her eyes widened.

"H-how can this be?" Her voice was shaken as her mind fought to comprehend what was before her. Her eyes rose to the wall in front of her once again and widened in shock and horror. She walked over to the markings and touched the one right in front of her. The square shone for a moment then pushed out to reveal a glass jar.

"W-what is this?!" Nausea overcame her and she heaved, grateful that she hadn't eaten anything that would have soiled the ground.

She stood there, staring at the wall, questions filling her mind and no one around to answer them.

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They sat in silence for what seemed like hours, each engulfed in his own thoughts, each tormented by his own regrets. The Hokage's office was littered with papers, on the desk, on the floor, on the chairs, papers that would be left unsigned and unattended to for an indefinite amount of time. The Godaime Hokage had yet to awaken from her coma, as Shizune had informed them earlier after her usual efforts at waking her master failed.

For once, Kakashi was completely clueless as to what to do in the current situation. With Tsunade in a coma and Donzo dead, he had been chosen as the next Hokage. In the current situation, with the alliance between the Great Countries finally forged, he couldn't do anything to spark a war. The Raikage was demanding retribution in the form of Sasuke's dead body. The declared-missing nin had tried to kidnap the Jinchuuriki for the Eight-tailed demon, and the Raikage wouldn't stand for it any longer. Kakashi could only guess that Madara forced Sasuke to do his bidding in some way, but with no alibi and plenty of evidence against him, the situation didn't look good for Sasuke.

Kakashi glanced at the blond sitting on the ground between two piles of paper. His expression was that of a man who'd lost everything. Sakura's assumed death was a shock to them all, it took five hours to get Yamanaka Ino to stop crying. But Kakashi understood the pain of it, of losing someone as precious as Sakura was to all of them. Naruto was almost lifeless after losing Sakura and not knowing where Sasuke was. He seemed to be in a state of shock more than anything.

That other occupant of the room was Yamato, a temporary member of Team Kakashi. Although Kakashi trusted the younger man as much as he could trust anyone, the only reason Yamato was invited to the office was because Naruto was there. Yamato had been assigned to follow Naruto around everywhere he went, to make sure that should Naruto lose control of his sanity, Yamato would be there to get him back to normal.

The silence was stifling.

Then Yamato spoke.

"Kakashi-san, what do you plan on doing about Sasuke?"

Kakashi sighed.

"Well, considering what we found out about Madara, Sasuke will make his way to Konoha at some point or another to kill the elders, if not destroy the entire village." He glanced at Naruto. "Plus, we know that Madara's goal is the Kyuubi, which we cannot allow him to have."

"What can we do to protect him from Madara..." Yamato voiced his thoughts. "The way he just warps in and out whenever he pleases...there's nowhere secure to keep Naruto. I normally would suggest that he goes back to village of the Toads, but since that battle with Pein, Madara knows where it is."

"You're right. And knowing Madara, he probably learned all the secrets of the village from Donzo when they were still partners and before they betrayed each other." Kakashi added. "We can't send him to any other villa-"

"I'm not running."

They both turned to Naruto, startled by his sudden outburst.

"I'm not...running or hiding..." He raised his head. "I'm not going to sit back and watch things happen this way! This isn't the way it's supposed to be!"

He remembered the time he'd encountered Uchiha Itachi in the woods. The two of them had been alone that time, yet the Uchiha made no move to capture him for the Kyuubi. That was before he and Sasuke fought...before he died at the hands of his younger brother.

Itachi had asked him what he would do if a day comes when Sasuke aims to destroy Konoha. Would Naruto betray him to save the village? Or would he aid him and forsake his village? Neither choice made any sense to the young shinobi and he'd created his own course of action.

_"I'll bring Sasuke back and protect Konoha!" _

Itachi had regarded him condescendingly almost and called him childish. It was true, Naruto had always been a dreamer, but without dreams how could there be any hope in the world? Despite what everyone had been telling him, Naruto refused to give up on Sasuke, because they were brothers and teammates. He'd promised Sakura, and he'd promised Itachi...he was going to save Sasuke!

"I'll bring Sasuke back." Naruto whispered. "I...have to."

Kakashi and Yamato watched him quietly.

"Naruto...he's not the person you thought he was." Kakashi spoke first. "He's hellbent on revenge and not even you can stop him at this point."

"Well I sure as hell am not going to sit back and watch him destroy himself!" Naruto snapped, getting to his feet. "I'm not afraid of Madara or Tobi or whoever the hell he is! He can kiss my ass! But Sasuke...I'm going to save Sasuke if it's the last thing I do!"

"Naruto, calm down." Yamato whispered.

"Naruto, I'm sorry." Kakashi stood and turned his back to them, his one eye looking out at the village. "It's my burden to bear...It's my duty to deal with Sasuke...I shouldn't have let you shoulder this burden on your own..."

"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto frowned. "You said 'deal' with Sasuke. You're not planning to leave him alive are you?"

"There's no way, Naruto." Kakashi replied. "Even if by some miracle we do get him back to the village and this all ends happily ever after, there's still the fact that the other nations won't be appeased unless he's dead!"

"But-"

"Sasuke attacked them at the Kage Summit." Kakashi continued. "He's an international criminal and the alliance won't hold fast unless he's dead. We can't risk losing the alliance after working so hard for it!"

"So you'll forsake Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was low and almost accusatory.

"Naruto -"

"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto's eyes were sad, broken as he looked into his teacher's good eye. "I really believed you valued your comrades above all. You know what happened. Sasuke is more of a victim than anyone."

Before Kakashi could even think of a reply, Naruto made his way to the door and walked out, not once glancing back.

Yamato stood awkwardly in the room, waiting for his senpai to speak or dismiss him.

Kakashi was shaken by how much Naruto's last words affected him. His father had died in shame because he defended his comrades instead of completing a mission. But Kakashi had, up until this particular situation, always put the lives of his teammates above all. Winning or completing a mission were insignificant to him if his friends had to lose their lives for it. Everything he'd taught Team Seven while they were genin was about teamwork and helping each other through everything. And yet...here he was, turning his back on it all, becoming a hypocrite to the very teachings he lived by all these years.

"Yamato..."

"Hai, Hokage-sama?"

"...tell me, am I a fool?"

Yamato blinked. "What defines a fool, I wonder?"

Kakashi smiled bitterly behind his mask.

"...I often wonder that myself."

On the other side of the village, Naruto walked slowly through the streets, his eyes locked on the ground in front of him, looking but not seeing. His mind wandered, thinking of the teammates he'd failed, of his soon-to-be-lost dream of becoming Hokage, and of the upcoming war that would most likely take place with Konoha as the battlefield. He was helpless to stop any of it. He could not protect Sasuke from Orochimaru all those years ago and neither could he protect the promise he'd made to Sakura to bring him back home. He couldn't defeat Sasuke the second time they met, even after finding out the truth about what happened with his clan, he was still powerless when it came to helping his best friends.

And...Sakura...He'd watched her die right before his eyes. He didn't know where that explosion had come from or who set it off, but Sakura had saved Karin's life for the sake of her own. He'd watched helplessly as she fell, unable to think or comprehend what was happening. He didn't even have the common sense to send out his Shadow Clones to catch her. She'd just tumbled to her death, and he'd turned his back on her and ran away.

He grit his teeth in anger and self-loathing, his fists clenched at his sides. Blood dripped down to the ground from between his fingers, staining it with his sorrow and pain. He felt lost, his goals were all but ripped away from him, his friends were gone. What did he have to live for? What did he have to continue fighting for? He had nothing left to protect, so why even bo--

"Naruto-kun?"

It was only when he looked up to find his vision blurry that he realized he had tears in his eyes He blinked them away, hating himself even more for his weakness. The woman before him merely stood there, watching him, just as she had been doing since their days in the academy. Her gaze was no longer shy, but confident and unwavering in portraying her love for him.

"...Hi, Hinata-chan..." He replied, simply out of politeness and common courtesy if nothing else.

She took a few steps forward until she was a foot away from him, reaching out to touch his left hand. His eyes watched her numbly as her petite fingers unwrapped his, soothing the tense muscles beneath the skin, and commenced healing the punctures he'd created with his fingernails. After performing the same procedure on his right hand, she held it for a breath longer than necessary, squeezing it lightly before looking back up at him.

"Naruto-kun, I was on my way to Sakura-chan's house..." She started, halting for only a moment when she saw pain and guilt flash through his eyes. "I was wondering if you wanted to help me clean it? The neighbors will want to go inside and pay their condolences there, since her parents are dead also."

She knew she sounded almost cruel as she spoke, but she couldn't baby him at this time. Death wasn't as smooth and painless as they'd been told as children, just to ease the nightmares. No, it was a bumpy road, even for those left alive, filled with good memories and haunting regrets. The man she loved was drowning himself in his regrets and 'what ifs' and she could not merely stand by and watch him destroy himself from the inside out. She loved him...and he knew that she loved him, and that was why she could not leave him alone.

Without even waiting for an answer, she took his right hand in her left and led the way to Sakura's home.

The house itself was a representation of Sakura. It was simple, with its plain beige color exterior, simple windows and door, and the small garden and backyard that were enclosed with a simple, white picket fence. Hinata and Naruto looked at it with tears in their eyes as memories of their time together in this house rushed into their minds. Birthdays, anniversaries, exam completions, ANBU acceptances, and mission completions...they were all celebrated in this very house. Sakura, whether knowingly or unknowingly, had tied them all together. She'd brought the shy Hinata out of her shell and helped her bloom into a beautiful flower. She'd helped Ino with her medic training, and helped her rid the sense of uselessness she'd felt before then. Even though she and Neji had never gotten along, Sakura was the one that helped him understand the riddle that was a woman's heart. Hours spent arguing, she'd helped him understand his own heart and feelings as well as Tenten's, and they were finally together. She'd helped Choji summon up the courage to not eat so much, even though he had amazing metabolism, he was still in danger of many illnesses due to obesity. With his gradual weight loss and muscle gain, he'd been quick to win Ino's heart.

Sakura had helped them all through their hardships and it was almost unbearable to think of a world in which she didn't exist.

Hinata stuck her spare key into the door and stepped in, wiping her tear on the back of her hand, other hand still holding onto Naruto. She felt his body tense up behind her as soon as she felt the chakra from inside the house.

"Hinata..." She nodded and her byakugan was activated, searching through the house for the intruder.

Her eyes widened and she let out a small gasp, hand tightening around Naruto's.

"What is it?" Naruto hissed. "Damn it."

"...Sakura-chan..."

Naruto froze, staring at the girl in front of him, but only for a moment. In the next, he was running through the house, not even bothering to take off his shoes, and sprinting up the stairs. He heard the front door shut and Hinata's soft footsteps as she made her way after him.

"Sakura-chan's room!" She called out to him and he turned to the left, his heart thumping loudly in his ears with every step he took closer to the white door. Before his hand could even reach out to touch the doorknob, the white door swung in and a kunai was placed right at his throat. He saw her short pink hair whirl around as she angled her body and pushed Hinata against the wall, immobilizing her with her foot on her neck.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto whispered, unable to take his eyes off the beauty in front of him. Her green eyes widened and she instantly withdrew.

"Naruto!" She glanced back. "Hinata-chan!" The smaller girl let out a sob and latched onto the taller kunoichi, holding onto her tightly as if afraid she would disappear again.

Naruto watched, still in shock, as Sakura hugged the smaller girl back, a sweet smile on her face and whispered reassuring words to calm her down. Hinata pulled away, letting out a strange sound, a mix of laughter and sobs as she held onto Sakura's hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you..." Sakura whispered. "There was a lot going on you see..."

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto whispered again, his fingers reaching out. It was almost surreal when the tips of his fingers touched her cheek, the softness was almost too soft, the reality of her almost too painful. And then, she was in his arms, struggling to breathe, but clinging to him anyways because his warmth and love were more important to her than breathing. She listened as he whispered her name again and again, as though she'd disappear if he didn't. She felt his tears colliding with her shoulder and couldn't help but let out a few of her own in return.

They pulled away slowly, each with tears in their eyes and a smile on their faces. Hinata's heart soared at the sight of Naruto's eyes. The light she'd thought he had lost was back, and she was once more enchanted by his radiance.

"Sakura-chan, where have you-- what -- how--" he was struggling to get out his questions, having too many to keep track of and not knowing where to start.

Her face was all business again.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I can't talk about this now." She said, moving back into the room. She left the door open for them to follow. "You see, I have a patient that I can't leave unattended for too long."

Naruto and Hinata's gazes fell on the bed. Naruto's eyes widened but he instantly held onto Hinata's hand as he heard her gasp, partly to support her and party to keep her from running off and telling the whole village that he was back.

"Uchiha Itachi."

"Naruto." Sakura stood between the bed and her two friends at the door, her eyes hard: a silent message that she will attack if they pose any threat to him.

"Sakura-chan...where did you find him? How is he still alive?"

"I'll explain everything later." She continued, her words quick as though she was trying to end the conversations and quickly get back to healing. "Danzo is dead and I'm assuming Tsunade-shishou is still camatose?" Hinata nodded, her eyes sad and fearful. "Then who is Hokage?"

"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto replied instantly. Sakura nodded in understanding.

"Will you help me?" She asked them both, her eyes pleading and her body tense, still waiting for an attack that would never come. "I know what this seems like to you but I just...I couldn't leave him in that --" Her voice broke off and her eyes screamed of the horror she'd seen in that place.

"Of course I'll help you, Sakura-chan. With anything." Naruto stepped forward, still not letting go of Hinata's hand. Sakura looked at the smaller girl, pleading silently.

"I-I..." She took a deep breath. "I don't understand what is...going on, but I will help in any way I can." Sakura smiled then and let out breath of relief.

"Okay, Naruto, go get Kakashi-sensei but don't say anything to him until he gets here. I want to explain everything to you all at once." She said. As soon as she was done, he was out the window and sprinting toward the Hokage tower. "Hinata-chan...I need you to help me heal him. I've been at it for almost three days straight, with only a few hours' break in between. But his injuries are too serious to stop now. Please, would you heal him for a while? Just long enough for me to get something to eat at least."

"Sure, Sakura-chan." The Hyuuga stepped closer and sat on the chair next to the bed. "What is his condition?" She asked as she laid her shaking hands against his torso to diagnose his body.

"Punctured lungs, internal bleeding, broken bones, eye nerve damage and..." Sakura frowned. "...and an illness that I don't --"

"I feel it." Hinata whispered, activating her Byakugan. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Damn. He'll die at this rate, now matter what we do."

"Maybe not. If we move quickly enough, there might be time to save him."

"How long do you think he's had it?"

"Well, considering the deterioration of his internal organs, quite a while. Years, I'd say." Hinata looked back up. "His chakra channels are wrapped up tightly around his organs, tighter than normal. I'm guessing that the constant overflow of chakra has burned the outer lining of his lungs and stomach, which led to blood entering the organs, further damaging them from the inside out. I'm surprised he even survived for this long."

"Illegal drugs." Sakura supplied. "When I first checked his body, there were traces of illegal drugs that were designed to suppress the pain and coughing, but not heal the damage."

Her fatigue had finally caught up with her and she swayed on her feet.

"Sakura-chan..." Hinata smiled. "Eat and rest, I'll take care of him."

With a smile, Sakura thanked the other medic and left the room with a last hesitant look at the sleeping Uchiha.

-

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* * *

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Sasuke made his way around the Akatsuki base, relishing in the silence and dark in which he was engulfed. It was the only perk to staying in such a ratty place. There was no one around to disturb his thoughts, no one around to annoy him. He allowed himself to be surrounded by his anger and hatred every passing moment of every day.

Except this day.

His thoughts drifted to the cabin in the woods and the events that occurred in said cabin. Not once did he expect Sakura to retaliate the way she did, or up and leave unexpectedly like that. She'd left her torn clothes lying around, deciding to travel in an oversized shirt and shorts that covered almost nothing, and with no weapons for protection. Foolish. She was indeed foolish.

He thought back to her words as she pleaded for him to make her understand what truth he was talking about. She was naiive, still enclosed in her bubble of warmth and protection, completely ignorant of the bloodshed that coated the walls of Konoha and its principles. She didn't know of the horrors his clan had to face just so that she and her beloved family could sleep soundly each night, protected at the cost of his family's lives. She didn't know of the pain his brother had gone through to protect him from Konoha, nor did she know of the deceit the elders had conjured up just to protect their own images.

Fools.

A bunch of old fools.

They would meet their end soon enough.

And Sakura.

She wanted to understand...

His eyes flashed.

_You'll understand, Sakura..._ he thought darkly as he walked into a room at the end of the hall. _When I've destroyed your entire village, and presented you with Naruto's head on a fucking stick, you'll understand everything._

"I'm tired of waiting." Sasuke said into the dimly lit room. The other occupant let out a chuckle, his one eye peaking through the hole in the mask.

"Patience, Sasuke-kun." he replied as he leaned over a body on a table. "One must have patience to achieve one's goals."

"I have no desire to participate in your twisted world domination goals." Sasuke continued, leaning against the wall behind him. "I have merely the desire to avenge my clan. You do what you want, but I'm not waiting any longer."

Madara's eye flashed dangerously and he let out a chilling laugh.

"Sasuke-kun, I don't think you understand the situation." he hissed. "If you do not cooperate and appreciate the freedom I am allowing you, then I will have you do what I want by force."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Hn."

"You truly are like your older brother." Madara continued.

"Do not speak to me of Itachi." Sasuke snapped, chakra flaring in anger.

"Oh, I apologize. I should have realized it was still an open wound." Madara's tone conveyed anything but sincerity as he continued with his tasks. Sasuke's stomach turned at the sight of the masked man reaching into the body's face and plucking out his eyes. Itachi's genjutsu flashed before his eyes and he remembered the feeling of his brother's fingers digging into his eye socket and pulling out his left eye.

Sasuke blinked, and the genjutsu was gone.

"Now, was there anything else you wanted me to clarify, Sasuke-kun?" Madara had turned completely to face Sasuke. "If not, then I'd like to ask you to leave. As you can see, I am quite busy."

Sasuke straightened and turned to the door, only to glance back darkly at the older man.

"Like I said..." his voice was cold. "I'm tired of waiting. Your pointless threats won't do you any good when I lose my patience and destroy you myself."

He walked out, leaving the door open, with Madara's laugh echoing in the halls around him.

-

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* * *

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It was a half hour later when Kakashi, Naruto and Yamato jumped into her bedroom through the window, and Sakura merely stared up at them in shock from her position on the floor, fork still hovering in midair signaling that she had been about to insert the forkful of noodles into her mouth when they caught her off guard. She lowered the fork back to her plate and gulped down a glass of water, her green eyes shifting from Kakashi to Yamato, to Naruto and back, trying to gauge the older men's reactions as their eyes shifted from her to Itachi lying asleep on her bed.

"Well..." Yamato whistled. "I didn't see that coming. I'm glad you're alright, Sakura. You nearly gave us a heart attack with that scroll of yours, we thought you were dead! But, uh, what is Uchiha-san doing here in your bed?"

Sakura made to stand up and greet them when she found herself on her feet and once again surrounded by strong arms squeezing the breath out of her lungs. And, once again, she leaned into the embrace and ignored her lungs screaming for air.

Kakashi held her tightly, pressing his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent, his mind working frantically to comprehend that she was indeed standing against him and in his arms, not in the bottom of that canyon bloodied and broken.

"Sakura..." He whispered, letting go. She smiled sheepishly and poked him in the chest.

"What's wrong, old man? Not tryin' to feel me up, are you?" Her light tone made the tension in the room disappear instantly, but the fire in Kakashi's eyes burned even brighter.

"I thought you were dead."

She nodded.

"So did I." Her gaze faltered for a moment. "But then...a fallen angel carried me to safety and cared for me..."

Everyone in the room froze, except Hinata who was busying herself with healing the Uchiha.

"Naruto." Kakashi called over his shoulder, his eyes never straying from Sakura's. "Why don't you help Hinata downstairs to get some food and water? She looks a little pale."

Hinata glanced up, about to decline the offer, when she caught the intensity in Kakashi's eyes. She knew they were about to discuss something serious, and she knew that was Kakashi's way of indirectly asking her to step out for a moment. Her heart fluttered like a butterfly when she caught sight of Naruto's outstretched hand, waiting to escort her out. Had the situation been less intense, she would have blushed madly and stuttered a quiet thank you. But she knew he was only helping her out of courtesy and nothing more.

She held his hand and stood, stumbling for a moment but, with Naruto's help, steadied herself quickly. They were almost at the door when Sakura spoke.

"Wait. I want Hinata to hear this."

Shock was written across all of their faces.

"Sakura -"

"She's as involved in all of this as any of us." She snapped, her eyes almost glaring at her Hokage. "She has every right to hear this, to know the truth. As do I."

Silence fell upon them once more and Naruto and Yamato exchanged weary glances. Sakura's emerald eyes stared into grey, black and blue, switching from one to the next and coming back again. There was something they knew and weren't telling her, that much she was sure of. But looking into Yamato's eyes, she knew he would not speak a word to her about anything unless directed to do so by Kakashi. Naruto was obviously struggling, torn between telling her and following his orders, but it was Kakashi she was worried about. His empty gaze was evidence enough that he was not going to release any bit of information to her about anything.

Her fists clenched tight.

"Tell me the truth." Her voice was calm, a complete contrast with her boiling emotions. "Tell me the truth of the Uchiha clan!"

Kakashi's eyes flickered with some foreign emotion so quickly that she had to question whether she saw it or not. She knew he wasn't pleased, his anger and irritation was practically oozing out of his pores.

"What do you mean, Sakura?" His voice betrayed nothing of his thoughts. "Surely you know full well what happened to the Uchiha clan, if not from the academy, then from Sasuke himself while he was with us."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" She snapped, angry that he was practically making a fool out of her. "A few days ago, the day that I was presumed dead, Sasuke caught me while I was falling off the cliff. He saved me, and took me to this cabin, just a few kilometers into the mountains on the west side of the village. He healed me enough until I could manage on my own. But..." She bit her lip, as though the mere memory of her time with Sasuke was too painful to think of. "But, the night before I left that cabin, we had an argument. He said something about avenging the Uchiha clan _and_ Uchiha Itachi."

She glanced at the sleeping Itachi.

"But, I don't understand! All those years, Sasuke's goal had been to kill Itachi, not avenge him! What changed? When I asked him that he said I wouldn't understand, and that perhaps I should ask the village_ elders_ about the truth behind all of this." Her eyes moved back to Kakashi. "I am no fool, Kakashi-sensei, I _know_ you know what he was talking about."

"And what would make you so sure that I know?"

Sakura stared into his eyes, angry and hurt that he would go to all that trouble just to keep her from finding out the truth.

"Because, Kakashi-sensei...If you didn't know the truth, you wouldn't be standing here nonchalantly talking to me when you see Uchiha Itachi sleeping in my bed." She snapped. "If you didn't know anything, you would have taken the both of us into custody and had me interrogated for information about him! _That _would have been the right thing to do, under different circumstances, but you _know._ You know and you're keeping it from me!"

Angry tears were coming to her eyes but she willed them not to fall, turning her attention, instead, to glaring at her sensei.

It was Naruto who broke the silence.

"Sakura-chan, I'll tell you what happened." Her eyes moved to him. He took a step away from Hinata, only to freeze at the sound of the sixth person in the room.

"No." His voice was deep and gravely, from the lack of use no doubt, and was laced with pain and fatigue. All eyes turned to him, the eldest Uchiha brother, as he struggled to sit up in the bed. Had the situation been different, they would have found it almost humorous to see the missing nin struggling to sit up in a pink bed surrounded by stuffed animals and flower pillows. "I will tell you the truth." Yamato glanced uneasily at his superior, undecided about whether he should restrain the missing nin, or allow him to speak freely.

"Uchiha-san." Sakura was at his side in a flash, but froze when he caught the hand that was reaching out to him and grasped it tightly.

"Kunoichi, I do not recall asking for your aid." His eyes were as cold as his voice, and she recoiled at the memory of the younger Uchiha.

"Bastard." Naruto fumed. "Don't talk to her like that! She saved your ass!"

"Ah, Naruto-kun. It's nice to see you are well and still alive." Itachi finally managed to push himself upright. "But, I repeat: I did not ask for her assistance, or for her healing abilities."

"Itachi, you're supposed to be dead." Kakashi spoke. "What happened after the fight?"

"I also thought that would be my end." Itachi mused quietly. "Madara appeared after Sasuke and I collapsed and took us both away from the battlefield. I do not know where he took Sasuke, but I woke up in an underground room, on top of a table, with...the kunoichi at my side." Sakura blushd under his intense gaze. "Considering you, Kakashi-senpai, know about the truth of the Uchiha clan and Konoha, that means Madara had visited you and told you his version of the truth."

No one answered, but Itachi didn't seem to notice.

"To put it simply, Sakura-san..." Itachi's gaze was once again on her. "The elders of Konoha were the ones that ordered me to kill the Uchiha clan in fear of a civil war between the Konoha government and the Uchiha clan."

Sakura's mind reeled. New questions piled over old questions, confusing her even further. How could it be possible that the Sandaime Hokage would allow such an act? How could the village order a massacre and hide it with such a disgusting lie? How could they order this man to kill his family, then put the blame completely on him? The idea of it was repulsive, ugly, disgusting, inhumane, grotesque, fucked up and any other adjective with a negative connotation. Her mind refused to believe his words, at first, but with one look at Naruto's, Kakashi's and Yamato's eyes...she knew he was telling the truth.

"But..." But what? It was impossible? No, it was improbable, but it was clearly possible.

"Sakura-san..." Itachi breathed out with difficulty. "Earlier...you said that you spoke with Sasuke recently?"

She nodded, a bit unnerved and overwhelmed at the new information.

"What exactly is he planning to do next?"

For a moment, to Sakura, he almost sounded like a concerned older brother, worrying for the fate of his younger brother.

"I-I..." She breathed in. "He's planning to attack Konoha... to avenge you." It sounded almost ludicrous even as she said it.

Itachi sighed.

"That fool." Then his eyes shifted to Naruto. "Naruto-kun...do you remember that conversation we had in the woods?" All eyes turned to Naruto, then, shock and confusion filling the room.

"Yeah.."

"And your answer?"

Naruto didn't even pause to think.

"It's still the same as back then."

"Hn...Then perhaps there is hope..."

-

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Itachi had passed out out of fatigue, then, and the explanations were practically forced out of Kakashi's lips. Sakura was even more confused than before, her questions of 'why' and 'how' still floating unanswered in her mind. But it was her heart that found all the answers it had been seeking.

The sun had set, and the moon lit the night sky as she sat on the floor next to the bed. She'd been staring at Itachi for hours after the rest of them had left, Hinata and Naruto promising to return early the next morning to help her in any way they could with the patient. For the hundredth time since she'd cleaned him up, Sakura felt the urge to touch his skin and move his silky strands away from his face. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, and she felt envious of his long dark lashes as they caressed his cheeks with the tips.

He was magnificent. Where his younger brother was handsome and dark, deep and dangerous, Itachi was almost feminine in his beauty, but nonetheless did not fail to ooze that sex appeal that she was sure all Uchiha men had.

She was fascinated and her fingers reached out on their own, landing gently on his brow and drifting down his jaw to the tip of his chin. He was perfection, and he looked too much like Sasuke.

Then, there were tears in her eyes.

"...To think that you were actually innocent..." She whispered, addressing the man as he slept. "To think that you sacrificed everything for your younger brother, and your village. To think that I had to grow up hating someone like you..."

The tears ran down her face, but she made no move to stop them. She was crying for him and for Sasuke, for the dead Uchiha men, women and children that could not cry for themselves. She was crying because they were victims of politics gone wrong, of betrayal and deceit, of lies and secrets. They were all caught in the web of a tragic fate, unable to escape no matter what they did. She was crying because the man she loved was the victim of hundreds of years of anger and hatred and bloodshed. She was crying because it hurt and even though she knew the truth, she still could do nothing for him.

"You love my little brother."

His voice shook her to the core, and she was three feet away from him before she even understood what was going on. Her body had reacted on instinct and retreated from what it presumed was a threat.

"Wh-at?" Her voice broke and her tears flowed like rivers down her face.

"Tell me, Sakura-san...how often have you cried for him?" His voice was soft, almost gentle, and not once did she feel like he was mocking her.

"...To often. Too many times to count." She whispered back, her heart nearly cracking at the memories.

"Why do you continue to cry? He has betrayed you time and again. He is a traitor to your village and a threat to all those you hold dear. Why do you continue to cry for him?"

The tears were ever flowing.

"If I don't cry for him..." She whispered, moving a step closer. "...then who will?"

"The time for tears has passed, Sakura-san." He replied, turning his face away. "Your tears will do nothing for Sasuke, now."

...

...

"You're right."

His eyes widened just a fraction.

"My tears have never done anything but prove me to be the weak lovesick girl he's always seen me as." She whispered. "But no more. I'm not weak anymore. I've trained and trained, time and again, to catch up to him and Naruto. I'm there, now. I will save Sasuke, even if I die in the process."

"You're just as foolish as Naruto-kun."

"So what if I am?" She snapped. "It takes a fool to do what no one else dares."

He turned to her then, and a beautiful smile dazzled her.

"I take it then that you and Naruto-kun will do what no one else dares to do?"

Her eyes were hard as emeralds as she stared deep into his Mangekyu.

"Death is nothing compared to losing Sasuke-kun." She whispered. "I will stand between him and Konoha and the other nations if I must. But he will not die and Konoha will remain standing."

Itachi's hand reached out.

"Is that a promise, Sakura-san?"

Hand in hand, warmth coursing through.

"It's a promise."

Sakura couldn't help but let out a giggle as their hands separated. Her cheeks were bright pink as she leaned forward on her knees and smiled.

"So...how did you know...well, about my feelings for Sasuke?"

He raised an eyebrow, as though it was the most idiotic question ever posed.

"Every time you speak of him...your whole demeanor changes." he replied simply, leaning back against the pillow, eyes closed.

"Ah, shoot! I guess I'm still so easy to read..." She bit her lip. "But anyway, I've been hoping to ask you this ever since we left that place. Why was Madara collecting all those sharingan?"

Itachi's gaze was sharp as he looked closely at her.

"He collected them after the massacre, in the vain hope that he would obtain the ultimate Sharingan and control all the demons at once for an all out attack on the world..."

"Wow. Evil much?"

"He plans to put a permanent genjutsu on everyone alive."

Her eyes widened.

"H-how?"

"You underestimate the power of the Sharingan, Sakura-san."

"So it's possible?"

"There's no proof that it's ever been done before...but there are legends."

"And legends normally have some truth behind them." Sakura finished, her brows furrowing in concentration. "Can he be killed?"

"Madara is only an imitation of his former self, his power is only a fraction of what it used to be. Nonetheless he is a formidable opponent. Only one with a Sharingan would have a chance at beating him."

"That means you or Sasuke-kun." She supplied. "But...Sasuke-kun is with Madara isn't he?"

"Sasuke is still pure...he can easily be swayed if you have the right tools." Itachi mumbled, fatigue creeping up on him again.

"You really care about him don't you?" Sakura whispered, leaning against the bed. "You know...you're a really nice guy."

The expression on his face almost made her laugh, if not for the hand reaching for her and pulling her across his chest, and the beautiful face nearing her own. She would have laughed, had her lips not been preoccupied with an act much more pleasurable.

She would have laughed, had she not been busy being kissed by Uchiha Itachi.

-

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**_Why  
_**

_"Because you saved me..."

* * *

_

Maybe it was because of what she said, that he was a _nice guy._ Maybe it was because she believed him, despite all the things she'd heard about him and what he'd done. Maybe it was because she'd taken care of him, spent hours upon hours and unmeasurable amounts of chakra healing him even though nobody would have blamed her had she just left him there in that dungeon to die. Maybe it was the way her voice was coated with love when she spoke of his younger brother, and the way her eyes shone with a mixture of love and pain. Maybe it was they way she sat so close to him, as though the thought of fearing him never crossed her mind. Maybe...it was the fact that he hadn't experienced human contact in so long and she was just so real...

Or maybe...it was the way her eyes brightened, or her lips puckered, or the many expressions that flitted across her face, or the way her hair matched the pink of her cheeks, or the way her skin looked so smooth, or the fact that she was_ right there_ and so alive and warm and fragile and trusting and vulnerable and loving and, and, and...

Whatever the reason, he couldn't control himself.

In an instant, warmth and the clean scent of soap enveloped him, surrounding him in a cocoon of security. Her body was rigid, unable to accept that his lips were touching hers, moving against her stiff ones oh so gently to the point of being painfully blissful. Her eyes were wide with shock and amazement as they gazed into his, searching for answers to questions she hadn't even formed yet, answers she would not find in his stoic and unrelenting gaze.

He, on the other hand was filled to the brim with warmth he hadn't allowed himself the luxury of experiencing. Ever since the incident, he'd closed off all attachments to other living creatures, his goal of making Sasuke stronger was the only thing that kept him alive. Although he knew he shouldn't be kissing her, he couldn't help it. He had to destroy Madara, and make sure his younger brother was safe. Yet, when he parted from her lips and glanced at her doe eyes and pouty, bruised lips, he felt that same urge to kiss her come over him again.

And this time, he blamed it on the delirium due to over exhaustion.

-

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* * *

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_The first time he laid eyes on her was on the eve of her sixth birthday._

_She'd made her way to the Uchiha district with her blond friend, a girl named Yamanaka Ino. He'd been on the porch that afternoon, silently gazing at two red birds chasing each other around in the sky as though playing together. The girls had walked through the gates warily, clearly unsure of whether their presence was welcome or not. Their large eyes glanced around the yard, as though waiting for some terrifying beast to jump on them and eat them in one gulp. He'd found it amusing that they'd yet to spot him from his position directly across from them, but kept silent as they stepped closer. Then, the blond stopped walking and turned to her shorter friend, her expression was filled with anxiety and fear._

_"S-Sakura, maybe this was a bad idea..." She nearly whimpered as Sakura turned to look at her friend, their expressions mirroring each other._

_"But Ino! I really want him to be there..." Sakura mumbled back, looking down at the piece of paper in her hands, pouting. Ino sighed and took Sakura's hand before moving forward._

_"Fine, then. If you're going to give it to him, hurry up and do it."_

_"Okay!"_

_They were three feet away from the porch when they noticed him watching them, arms crossed and back leaning against the wooden wall. He heard their breathing catch, saw their eyes widen and almost smelled the fear and shock seeping out of their bodies._

_He raised a brow and they instantly bent forward from the middle in a bow, their hands shaking._

_"H-hello, Uchiha-san!" Their voices rang in unison and he almost chuckled in amusement._

_"...Hello."_

_"We're sorry we walked in without permission!" Ino was the first to straighten up. "We waited, but it looked like no one was home!"_

_"And that gave you the right to come in?" He was almost teasing._

_Ino bit her lip and looked at the ground in embarrassment._

_"Um, Uchiha-san?" Sakura looked up at him, her bright green eyes staring unwaveringly into his onyx orbs. "I-is Sasuke-kun home?"_

_He glanced at the piece of paper she clutched in her hands._

_"...No."_

_Her face instantly fell and Ino's hand was on her shoulder, a small gesture of comfort and support._

_"He hasn't come home from school yet. He's probably training." Itachi continued, his amusement growing as her pout increased._

_"Ah, then, sorry to bother you!" Ino was the one that broke the silence that followed. She whispered in Sakura's ear, her hands tugging on the shorter girl's shoulder in an effort to get her to move. It was obvious that the blond was not comfortable in front of the elder Uchiha._

_They had taken only two steps when Sakura stopped._

_"Wait." She murmured to Ino, turning around to face Itachi again. She made her way forward until she was standing at the edge of the porch. Her arms reached out and she placed the paper she'd been holding on the wood in front of him. "Uchiha-san, if you don't mind, would you please give this to Sasuke-kun?" He reached out and took the paper, glancing at the surface quickly before turning his gaze back on hers. "It's an invitation to my birthday party tomorrow...U-um, tell him he doesn't need to bring a present or anything!" He could tell she was flustered. "Th-thank you!" She bowed again and caught up to her friend, and the two ran out of the estate as though they were being chased by lions._

_Itachi's gaze drifted from the folded paper in his hand to the sky again._

_Birthday parties...He couldn't even remember the last time he'd celebrated his birthday. They never even celebrated Sasuke's birthday._

_Quiet footsteps broke his train of thought and he looked up to see his younger brother running toward him, his face dirty and bruised. The grin he wore stretched all the way across his face._

_"Nii-san!" Sasuke stopped right at the porch, right where Sakura had been just moments before, Itachi remarked. "I did it! I finally hit the mark with m shuriken!"_

_Sasuke's eyes were wide and filled with anxious hope as he waited for his older brother's reaction, whether it be positive or negative. Itachi's gaze faltered for a moment. Sasuke...he thought as he reached out to pat his brother's head. I do not deserve your affection._

_"Well done, Sasuke." He replied simply and almost smiled at the look of pure happiness on his brother's face._

_"Is father home yet? I can't wait to tell him!" The younger Uchiha jumped up on the porch, ready to run looking for his father._

_"Sasuke..." Itachi's smooth voice stopped his brother's excited departure. "Father is not home."_

_"Oh...I was going to ask him to help me train..." That pout. Itachi smirked, remembering Sakura."Will you train me tomorrow Nii-san?"_

_"You know I have a mission tomorrow night, Sasuke. Besides..." Itachi extended the paper he'd been holding toward his younger brother. "...two of your classmates stopped by a little while ago. This is for you."_

_Sasuke blinked, curiosity overcoming him as he reached out and took the paper. His eyes scanned the invitation, narrowing as they landed on the name signed crookedly on the bottom. He huffed and moved to crumble the paper when Itachi's hand reached out and stopped him._

_"...What will you do Sasuke?"_

_"Nii-san, I really want to train tomorrow!" Sasuke pouted again. "Besides, Sakura is annoying! All she ever does is stare at me! She's just a stupid girl! I don't want to go!"_

_"It's her birthday, Sasuke..." Itachi watched his younger brother fight back another pout. "It's rude to reject such an invitation. She even said you don't need to bring a present, although a present is necessary to attend a birthday party."_

_Sasuke said nothing as he glared at the ground._

_Itachi sighed._

_"My mission does not start until late tomorrow night." He began. "If I promise to train you in the morning, and take you to the party, would you go?"_

_Sasuke's face instantly brightened and his head bobbed up and down in agreement._

_"Hai!!"_

_"Alright. Now, shall we go pick a present for Haruno Sakura-san?"_

_Sasuke's good mood did not falter as he jumped back off the porch and grabbed his older brother's hand, trying to get him to stand up more quickly. He would take any opportunity to spend more time with his nii-san._

_Itachi smiled softly at the sight of the happiness and excitement in his younger brother's eyes._

Sasuke...I will do whatever it takes to protect that innocence.

-

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-

_At three o'clock the following day, Itachi led his younger brother toward the Haruno house across the village. Sasuke was a nervous wreck, having to interact with his classmates for the first time outside of the Academy. He never really got along with any of them - then again, he never tried to get along with any of them. But something about seeing Sakura and the other girls just made him uneasy. He was used to being constantly stared at by strangers, he was an Uchiha after all, but the way the girls his age stared at him unnerved him. Sakura wasn't as bad as the other girls, like Ino and Ayame, but it was just weird._

_They heard the voices before they saw the house. Giggles and screams filled their ears, and Sasuke's stomach fluttered with nervousness again. His fist tightened around his brother's shirt as he fought to keep from running away._

_Itachi placed his hand on his younger brother' head in support as they walked even closer._

_Sasuke stopped a foot behind his brother as Itachi knocked on the Haruno's home. Movement from the right caught his eye and he looked up to find a little boy, around his age, with unruly blond hair sitting on a high branch in a tree near the Harunos' back yard. His blond eyes watched the other kids playing with a mixture of sadness and anger. He must have felt Sasuke's gaze on him for he looked up and glared before jumping down and running in the opposite direction._

_Sasuke frowned and looked up when a female voice called his name. His eyes landed on a pretty woman with blond hair, bright blue eyes and a kind smile._

_"Sasuke, say hello to Yamanaka-san." Itachi gently pushed his brother forward._

_"Hello, Yamanaka-san." Sasuke bowed and replied automatically, clutching the wrapped gift behind him tightly._

_"Hello, Sasuke-kun!" The woman replied sweetly. "Kimi, er Sakura's mother, wanted me to greet you. She's a little busy out back with the kids." The woman chuckled to herself and opened the door wider. "Come in, come in, we're so glad to have you here. Sakura and Ino never stop talking about you!"_

_Sasuke paled and glanced up at his brother, pleading him with his eyes to take him away._

_"I'll be back at five." Itachi ignored his younger brother and spoke to the woman. "Our father wants him home before it gets dark."_

_"That's perfectly fine, dear! And say hello to Mikoto-san and Fugaku-san for me! I haven't seen your mother in ages!" Yamanaka Aya replied._

_"I will. Thank you." Itachi bowed and turned away. The door clicked shut behind him but he remained standing in that spot. He counted ten seconds and then the screaming started. He was sure the boys and girls at the party were crowding around his younger brother, probably surprised that the shy Uchiha would even show up to the party. Itachi's thoughts then drifted to the pink haired girl. What kind of expression would she make when she saw him there? Would she be happy? Relieved? Probably, but he found himself wanting to see the girl six years younger than him._

_His footsteps were silent and swift as he jumped into the tree over looking the backyard. He didn't really have to try to hide from them, they were all pretty oblivious to him. He leaned back against the trunk, his right leg outstretched before him while his left leg was bent up at the knee, his elbow resting against it. His eyes scanned the party, searching for his brother and the pink haired girl._

_His brother was easy enough to spot in the middle of the crowd of boys and girls ogling him. Itachi smirked at the scary expression on his brother's face._

_He spotted Sakura walking out of the house and toward the crowd. Her eyes widened when she spotted Sasuke, and her expression changed from one of shock to one of happiness. Her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink as she made her way over._

_"Hey, everyone! My mom is bringing out the cake now!" Itachi wasn't sure if she'd said that because her mother was indeed bringing out the cake, or because she'd noticed Sasuke's discomfort. Quickly enough, the crowd dissipated and Sasuke was left standing alone, with only Sakura standing just a few feet away from him. She stepped closer, her eyes fixed on the ground from her shyness._

_"Sasuke-kun..." Itachi had to activate his Sharingan to read her lips since he couldn't hear her quiet mumbles. "Thank you for coming."_

_Sasuke didn't say anything but moved his hands in front of him before shoving the present into her arms, his cheeks matching her pink hair. Her eyes widened as she looked at the present in her hands. _

_"Sasuke-kun! Thank you but...you didn't have to!" _

_Sasuke glared at the ground, his fists in his pockets. _

_"My nii-san said it's rude to go to a party without a present..." _

_Sakura blinked and in an instant, her face brightened with a beautiful smile. _

_She held the wrapped gift against her chest and let out a small giggle._

_"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." _

_She'd grabbed his hand and steered him toward the cake and Itachi noticed the way his younger brother stared at their interlocked hands, face flushed with embarrassment and mouth pulled in a small smile. _

_The sudden change in his demeanor was due to that girl, Itachi deduced. Sakura had broken past his nervousness and seemingly unsocial attitude and welcomed him into her life with warmth and care. _

_Itachi closed his eye and leaned back, mind drifting as he waited for five o'clock._

-

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Sakura made her way through dark corridors, ignoring the catcalls and whistles from the criminals locked behind rusty bars. The shinobi standing guard had greeted her warily, knowing better than to ask what she was doing in the village prison. She'd walked past them without a word, a nod was her only indication that she acknowledged them.

Her steps were quiet and slow, but her gaze was steady and unwavering as she stared at the darkness ahead. It had been a long day and she was ready to go home. The day had commenced with her morning shift at the hospital with Ino. Ino had already found out that Sakura was alive and well a few days earlier and had come storming into her house screaming like a banshee and had stumbled upon the Uchiha in her bed. It was a little tense, but Ino was a sucker for a good looking was relieved that there would be no tension about her keeping the Uchiha in her home and the two had worked flawlessly together in the hospital ever since.

That morning, it had been more chaotic than ever. Twenty ANBU had been brought in half dead. They all had mission all over the world, missions completely unrelated to one another. And yet, from the information they got from the few conscious shinobi, they all had the same enemy: a masked man in an Akatsuki cloak. They had all stumbled upon him coincidentally at some point in their mission and immediately recognized him as a member of Akatsuki. As shinobi, it was their duty to either apprehend him or kill him on the spot. But, as one genjutsu master supplied, they'd been caught in a strong genjutsu before they could even attack. It was nearly impossible for her, Kibuki Hinami-san, to break free and by the time she did the damage had already been done and it was all she could do to bring her teammates back to the village to be healed.

Tobi, or as Sakura recently found out, Madara was planning the destruction of Konoha and the take over of the world. She knew he was planning to use the tailed demons, but she didn't understand how he was going to go about making everyone submit to him. If he used the tailed beasts, all that would result from that is destruction. If he destroyed the world, he would have no one to control. Was he so mentally unbalanced that he would kill every living creature that he came across? A part of her thought so, but a bigger part of her knew that although he was insane, he knew what he was doing. Itachi had mentioned something to her about Madara wanting to cast a permanent genjutsu on everyone alive, but her mind still could not comprehend the idea of an illusion so strong as that.

Whether there was an illusion as strong as that or not didn't answer the question of why Madara would attack Konoha shinobi before waging a war against the village. He must have been looking for something, and hoping that he could find that something without coming close to the village. Probably information on the workings of the village: battle strategies, safe houses, the underground tunnels for emergency evacuations, and the like. But being a former shinobi of the village, he should have known all of this and if not, he could have easily warped into the village, gotten the information, then warped out when he was done.

None of it made any sense and Sakura was too tired to continue running in circles.

After her shift at the hospital, she decided to check up on her shishou. She'd been notified the day before that Tsunade had indeed woken up from her coma, but was still in a dangerous condition. Without Shizune there to attend to her, Tsunade was assigned two medics that would stay with her throughout the day. Neither the man nor the woman was used to Tsunade's temper tantrums and desire to gobble down alcohol even though she was still bedridden and were unable to handle her. One of the medics had sought Sakura out and asked her to visit her shishou and make her understand that she was in no condition to be acting so rashly.

Tsunade had been relieved to find her student alive and well, but was still in mourning over her close friend Shizune's death. The two women had talked for nearly six hours, enjoying each other's company and silently supporting each other for the trials that have yet to come. Sakura updated her on everything that had happened since Pein attacked Konoha. Tsunade was surprised that Itachi was still alive and in Sakura's care but she didn't look too surprised about the Uchiha clan's history. When Sakura asked her shishou why she wasn't surprised, Tsunade merely shrugged and said, "I knew about it all along."

Her tone hinted that they end the conversation there and the two women sat in silence until Sakura decided it was about time for her to leave. With a promise to visit her mentor again the next day, she walked out and headed toward the prison.

She reached her destination and looked inside the cell, sighing when she was met with one emotionless stare and one sadistic leer.

"What the hell do you want?" The shorter of the two hissed through sharp teeth, his clear blue eyes narrowing with hatred. His eyes roamed her figure but she ignored him completely and looked at the larger man.

He was huddled against the back wall, his cloak pulled tightly against his body. His short orange hair was pressed sloppily against his scalp, filthy with dirt, oil and blood. His eyes watched her warily and his grip on his left arm tightened with every passing second.

"Hey, _bitch_, I was talking to you!" The shorter man blocked her view and moved closer to the bars. "I said, what the hell do you want?"

"Step aside." her voice was calm with an underlying threat. "He's injured."

"Yeah, he is. Because of _you_ dumb fucks!" The man snapped, punching the metal bars. Her gaze did not waver as she moved to unlock the cell.

"I'm going to open the cell so I can heal him." She said, her eyes never moving from the orange eyes watching her from the back. "I mean you no harm, but should you attack me or try to escape, I or one of the shinobi standing guard will kill you."

The shorter man smirked and took a step back, clearly enjoying himself.

"Heh. You're one crazy bitch to try and get close to Jugo. He could snap any minute. Once that happens, no one but Sasuke could stop him from destroying everything."

The man in the back almost whimpered, as though the mere thought of destruction hurt him. He pulled his knees up against his chest and huddled closer to the wall.

"I asked you to step aside." Sakura repeated, as though she didn't hear a single word that came out of his mouth.

The sharp-toothed man muttered curses under his breath as he backed away and sat on one of the two benches in the cell. His eyes watched her, his muscles tense and ready to attack if he sensed a threat. She ignored him as she opened the cell and stepped inside. She'd left the door wide open and he'd had the fleeting thought of trying to escape. One look from her and he knew she was serious about killing him if he tried to escape. With an irritated sigh, he held up his hands as if in surrender and she continued toward the man named Jugo.

Sakura moved cautiously, having heard from the shinobi standing guard that this man was volatile and dangerous. Once she was close enough to him but just out of arm's reach, she spoke.

"Jugo-san?" Her voice must have startled him. His body convulsed for a moment, his wide eyes not moving from hers. "Will you let me heal your wound?"

She heard the other man snort from behind her but decided to ignore it. She kept her voice soft and calm, trying to get the large man to trust her.

"My name is Sakura." She gave him a smile. "I'm a medic trained by the Sannin Tsunade. I don't want to hurt you. Please, will you let me heal your wound?"

It was either her tone or the smile she gave him, but he slowly relented. His arm lifted and he pulled his cloak aside to reveal a dangerous gash stretching from his wrist, curling around his elbow and up toward his shoulder. The bleeding had stopped but it was still an open wound. The flesh around the gash was purple and slowly turning a sick green color, signaling an infection. She didn't know how long he'd been in this cell without medical attention but if she waited any longer he would have died slowly and painfully. She took another slow step and saw his body tense again, as though expecting her to lash out and hurt him.

"Trust me..." She whispered gently. "I want to help you. I'll make the pain go away."

Again, he relaxed and she was able to get close enough to touch his arm. The flesh was swollen and oozing white liquid.

"It's infected." She supplied. "I'm going close up the wound before I deal with the bacteria. It shouldn't take long." Her hand glowed blue in the darkness and she slowly moved it to his skin, never breaking eye contact with him, her smile still present on her face, warm and reassuring. Sealing the flesh took about five minutes to complete, then she turned her attention to killing the bacteria and healing the swelling.

"Tell me, Jugo-san," She looked up at him. "have you ever washed an open cut with soap?" He nodded. "Do you remember the burning sensation you feel when the water and soap meet with the broken flesh?" He nodded again. "This will feel similar to that, though a bit different because it is my chakra that will attack the bacteria and not soap. Remember, I'm not trying to cause you harm, although it will hurt."

Without another word, she pushed her chakra under the swollen skin. Almost instantly his lips parted and a terrified scream broke the eerie silence in the prison. Sakura had but a moment to protect herself before his enormous arm swung down and slammed right into her chest. With a strangled 'oof' she landed on her back a few feet back, blinking to try to stop the cell from spinning. She heard Jugo's strangled breathing and the other man's muttered curses as she pushed herself up on her knees, her mind trying to comprehend the amount of strength Jugo had in that one swipe of his arm.

"It...hurts! It hurts! She's trying to hurt me!" Jugo was whispering, his fingers grabbing his dirty locks tightly. "She said she wouldn't hurt me. She said it...but -" He doubled over, his body convulsing. "Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! It hurts!"

"Shit!" The other man took a step back. "He's snapped. I told you pinkie! Now, you've done it! Sasuke's not even here to calm him down!"

"How does he normally calm him down?" Sakura asked, her eyes never leaving Jugo's form, her knees bent, ready to avoid any attack.

"I don't know! He uses the Sharingan then everything's all better!"

Sakura frowned, sensing Jugo's chakra spike sharply. Her eyes widened as his head rose and her eyes met his. He looked crazed, like an insane mental person. He let out a chilling laugh and took a step toward her.

"Fuck. We're fucked." the other man hissed and she saw him inch closer to the cell door.

"You hurt me!" Jugo hissed. "You liar! You hurt me! She hurt me! You hurt me! I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you! A girl's blood. Yes..this time it will be a woman!" Then he laughed.

Sakura's eyes widened and she jumped at him, using the arm he shot out at her to flip herself behind him. She kicked at his legs, missing as he jumped to the side, his tongue out, eyes wide and deranged. He lunged at her again, missing her by mere inches as she ducked, resulting in him punching the wall with his incredible chakra, cracking the entire side. The wall crumbled around them and the criminal on the other side stared at them wide-eyed, horror and fear painting his face a pale green color. He shivered in his corner of the cell as Jugo's attention focused on him.

"A girl's blood...No! A man's blood this time. Yes a man's. More delicious! Yes!" He stepped closer to the man, who was practically in tears with fear.

"Kunoichi!" Sakura heard the silver-haired man behind her call out. "He's going to kill him! If he spills blood, he'll go even more crazy!"

"Shit." She hissed as she lunged forward, kicking Jugo's right foot from under him. The man let out another shriek of fury and slammed his fist right where she'd been just a moment before. She heard footsteps coming their way and shinobi calling her name.

"Stay back!" She shouted. "He's dangerous! Stay back!" Jugo whirled around and reached for her, grabbing air as she flipped over him again, grabbing the civilian criminal by the collar and throwing him at Jugo's cellmate. "Take him out of here!" She shouted, her attention once again fixed on Jugo.

"Tch." Suigetsu caught the man easily and made his way out of the cell. Once he reached the Jonin guards, he threw the man at them before making his way back to Jugo. "That bastard!" He hissed.

Sakura ducked under Jugo's swinging arms and punched him in the stomach, using just enough chakra to knock the wind out of him and no injure him further. The man stumbled back a step before lunging at her again.

"Damn it!" She cursed, ducking again. "His chakra never ends!"

Her eyes widened in realization and she stepped closer to him. _All I have to do..._she thought as she slammed her fist into his right shoulder. _is stop the chakra flow in his body! _

She pushed her chakra into his body to halt his chakra flow, struggling as his supply overpowered her in her tired state. With his right arm useless, he swung his left arm at her with a force she was sure would break all the bones on her right side. She wasn't quick enough to dodge, she knew, and she braced herself for impact.

A body slammed into her from her left side, pushing her out of Jugo's way.

"Damn it, woman! Can't you do anything right?!" Suigetsu snapped. Jugo shouted again and Suigetsu pulled her against his body and jumped out of the way.

"Put me down!" She snapped, hating having to be rescued by a prisoner. "I have to stop his chakra flow!"

Jugo lunged at them again and they jumped to opposite sides.

"Haruno-san!" The guards called out again, clearly unsure whether they should help or stay out of the way.

"Damn it! I said stay away!" Her eyes narrowed and she lunged at Jugo again, determined to stop wasting her time playing tag with this man. She grabbed his left arm as he swung it at her and used the momentum to launch him against the wall opposite them. His back hit the wall hard and blood dripped down his chin.

"Hey! Don't kill him!" Suigetsu snapped.

"Shut up!" She snapped back, her patience had long run out. She made her way to Jugo, her steps quick and cautious and she knelt down in front of him. He lifted his head weakly, and she winced when she saw blood dripping down his neck. He must have hit his head when he made impact with the wall.

"Don't worry." She murmured. "I'll get you all fixed up in a little bit." She placed her hands against his chest and pushed her chakra into him, slowing down his chakra flow until he had only enough to move. He let out a groan as he regained his sanity, staring up at her with regretful eyes.

"I-I'm sorry I -"

"Sshh." she smiled. "It's alright. I understand."

Clear liquid streamed down his face and she looked away out of respect, busying herself with healing the wound on his arm as well as the wound she'd inflicted on him at the back of his head. Her thoughts drifted to Sasuke. Jugo's teammate had mentioned that Sasuke would bring the man back to his senses with the Sharingan. Sakura found herself wondering what it was about these particular people that made him choose them to be a part of his team. It was obvious why Karin was with him, she was an incredible tracker and he had used her powers to find Itachi and Danzo. Then he'd discarded her like a used up tissue.

But with the two men in front of her, she just did not understand why he would pick them. Jugo was obviously strong when he lost control of himself, and Sasuke had the advantage of being able to control that strength with his Sharingan. But as for the other man who strangely reminded her of a shark, she couldn't detect any kind of special skill or ability in him. He was a swordsman, this she knew, but aside from that...

She turned her attention back Jugo. His wounds were healed and the infection was gone. Her chakra supply was dangerously low and she could barely keep her hands from shaking. She stood and smiled at the large man as he quickly wiped the tears on the back of his hands.

"Jugo-san, I apologize for frightening you. I didn't mean to hurt you, please understand that." She reached out her hand to help him up. He grasped it gently and stood up, bowing his head.

"I, too apologize Sakura-san."

She nodded and turned to the shorter man.

"Thank you for saving me earlier." She said, giving him a smile as well. He shrugged and turned away.

Then, before her fatigue overcame her, she called the guards over.

"Please escort these gentlemen to room B4 in the Hokage Tower. They are our guests, that is a direct order from Hokage-sama."

With that, she walked away, determined to make it home before passing out.

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"It's been a week, Madara..." A low voice called out though the darkness of the room. Sasuke glared at the masked man across the room. He was restless and irritated and he wanted to do _something._ He'd been patient for the past few days as Madara ran around outside doing whatever the hell he did when he went out, but his patience was running thin. He didn't care about Madara's twisted world domination plans, all he wanted to do was kill those bastards from Konoha then live the rest of his pathetic life in peace and solitude. He'd restore his clan with a strong woman and after that, he'd deal with things as they came.

But Madara was proving to be more of a nuisance than he was worth. Patience, he'd told him, you must have patience to accomplish your goals. But Sasuke was through with patience. He wanted those elders' blood on his hands and on the ground, staining it red. He wanted to hear the civilians' laughter of joy turn into moans of pain and sorrow and despair. He wanted to make them understand the pain and agony of watching everyone in your family die. He wanted them to understand the bitterness of a death of an innocent.

Madara shifted his weight, still not speaking or facing the younger Uchiha.

Sasuke's anger bubbled.

"Madara."

The older man whirled then, Sharingan glaring through the hole in the mask. He was in front of Sasuke in a second, kunai embedded into the wall just a centimeter from Sasuke's head. Sasuke's gaze did not waver as he stared into the sole Sharingan stoically, adrenaline pumping through his body at the hint of a fight.

But there was no fight.

Madara yanked out his kunai from the wall and stepped back slowly. When he was facing away again, he spoke.

"Patience, Sasuke."

Sasuke's lips parted in a sneer and he let out a sound that closely resembled a growl.

"Enough. It's been a week since I told you to bring me Itachi's eyes!" he snapped. "Where is Itachi's body?"

Madara's silence was confirmation enough and Sasuke felt his anger boil and fought to subdue his chakra.

"Tell me, Sasuke..." Madara spoke after a few tense moments in the dark. "Have you...hm, no, never mind. It's not possible."

"I don't know what you're thinking or how you've..._misplaced_ Itachi's body, but know my patience has just about run out." Sasuke snapped.

"As has mine, Sasuke." Madara turned again. "You foolish child. You do not understand what it takes to achieve greatness. Perhaps I should have had you killed instead of your brother. He was much more reliable than you."

A Chidori blade was an inch from his neck in a moment, yet Madara did not even shift.

"Do not speak of Itachi that way!" Sasuke snapped. "And I don't give a fuck about this 'greatness' you're trying to achieve. It has nothing to do with me."

"Oh, but it does, Sasuke." Madara's eye narrowed with twisted excitement. "You see, you play the key role in this little act. Without you, all my plans will be for nothing."

Sasuke said nothing as he retracted the Chidori.

"One week." Sasuke said softly, his tone never betraying the hidden threat in his words. "One week, then I attack Konoha."

"You'll never succeed, Sasuke, you're going blind."

Sasuke turned away and walked out, his words echoing in the darkness.

"One week."

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Sakura stumbled through her front door, cursing her kindness and desire to help others until every bit of her chakra was spent. She leaned against the closed door and sighed, her eyes closed and her head tilted back. Dealing with Jugo had taken more out of her than she'd expected. Right then, all she wanted to do was make her way up the stairs and crawl into her bed and sleep until her blood stopped pounding in her ears. The feat of walking up the stairs would prove to be more exhausting than she'd anticipated.

Her boots were kicked off at the door and she stepped on the carpet and walked to the kitchen, deciding she'd better eat something before she passed out due to lack of nutrition. She was surprised to see the kitchen completely spotless, a complete change from how she'd left it earlier that morning. The dishes were washed and placed in the cabinets over the sink, the papers and fruit peels she'd left on the table and counter tops were tossed out along with the overflowing trashcan. The stove was cleaned of the months-old stains. It looked like a completely new kitchen and she found herself why her house-mate would even bother to clean.

The thought of Itachi brought an innocent flush to her cheeks as she remembered the incident of one week ago. The man had been delirious and had passed out due to fatigue as soon as their lips parted for the second time. He'd stolen her first_ and_ second kiss and had the nerve not to remember doing it!

The day after the incident, he'd acted completely normal, because he didn't remember it, but she'd been a nervous wreck! Sasuke's older brother had taken her first kiss! She was a mature young woman and berated herself for acting like a child, but she felt like something incredibly important to her was stolen away and she'd never be able to get it back. She'd confronted Itachi about it, but he'd merely stared at her as though she'd grown a second head.

"I do not understand what you are referring to, Sakura-san." He'd said. It took all the willpower in her 5'6 body to keep from punching him into the next century. She'd dismissed it with an irritated wave of her hand and walked out. She'd done everything in her power to keep from spending alone time with him since then. She'd leave early, before he even woke up, and return late. Hinata and Ino had the responsibility of healing him, though she finished all the complicated healing herself earlier in the week. She'd barely exchanged two words with him since then, and she intended to keep it that way.

But, of course, things never worked out as she planned.

She'd sensed him approaching before she heard his footsteps and fought to stop herself from groaning.

"Good evening, Sakura-san." Damn his politeness. Why couldn't he just ignore her like his brother had done so often?

"Good evening." She replied curtly, gulping down the remains of her glass and setting it down on the counter before grabbing an apple from the table and turning to leave.

"Sakura-san..." He called after her, his voice soft and stoic. "You wouldn't be...avoiding me..." It sounded so much like a statement that she wanted to slap him. Of course she was avoiding him! He _stole_ her first kiss _and_ forgot about it!

"What would make you think that, Itachi-san?" Answer a question with a question. Good.

"I don't see you around."

"Well, I'm very busy. I'm sure Hinata and Ino are doing a more than adequate enough job at healing you. Is there a problem?"

"No. I'm grateful to them for their assistance." He replied calmly and she wanted to throw her apple at him.

"Good. Then, if you'll excuse me." She'd only taken one step when he spoke again.

"You are angry with me."

Her fingers tightened around the apple, bruising it.

"Why would I be angry with you, Itachi-san?"

"For one, you did not call me Itachi-_san_ when we first met, so I do not see the reason for you to be so formal now." He turned to face her, watching as her back muscles tensed. "Also, I am not a fool, Sakura-san, and I understand that when one calls another a bastard then proceed to glare at that person, that would imply that one feels negative emotions towards the other."

She sighed.

"You are angry with me."

He repeated.

She turned around.

"Perhaps. I don't really know for sure. But I sure as hell am annoyed. I understand you were delirious, but that's no excuse for you to kiss me then forget about it!" she snapped, her cheeks painted a light pink with embarrassment, but she refused to back down.

"I apologize, Sakura-san, but it is merely a kiss." he replied, leaning against the counter as though exasperated.

Her eyes flashed.

"To_ you_ it may have been 'merely a kiss', but I was saving that kiss!" She snapped, her anger crushing the apple in her hand. She wasn't even using chakra. She walked to the trash and tossed the broken remains of the apple before walking to the sink to rinse her hand.

"That was your first kiss." He stated.

"Yes, it was." She answered his non-question.

The water was turned off, and she wiped her hands on a paper towel.

"Would you not have been angry had I remembered our kiss?"

Itachi watched as her back tensed again before relaxing. She placed her hands in front of her on the counter and sighed again.

"I don't know. I suppose."

He stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Then, please allow me to correct my mistake." Before she could even react, his lips were on hers and she was breaking down. So gentle, so smooth, so perfect...her body cried out for her to reciprocate, to cling to him and take everything he could give her. But her heart cried out for her to stop, to pull away and wipe her lips, to slap him and kick him out, to wash her lips until every trace of this incident was forgotten. _I'm Sasuke's! I'm Sasuke's!_ She kept shouting in her mind, but her fingers clung to his shirt tightly.

He was touching her with only his lips, his hands were placed on the counter behind her and there were several inches of space between them. But she'd been the first to close that gap as her fingers reached out for him.

He'd been able to control himself until he felt her cling to him. Then, he clutched her to him, his arms wrapping around her shoulders and waist, his chest pressing against hers and their hips aligned. It was innocent, he'd merely wanted to taste her lips again. He had no ulterior motives as he pressed her body against his, and his body remained calm.

There was nothing sexual about their contact. It was merely two lonely people seeking comfort from each other, holding onto each other to stay sane, to feel alive. She was warm and he was tired of being cold. He was strong, and she was tired of feeling weak. They were both there, and they were both tired of feeling alone.

His lips nipped at hers and she whimpered, standing on her toes as her arms locked around his neck. His arms moved to cup her behind and lifted her onto the counter easily before placing himself between her legs, his arms returning to their original position on her upper back and waist.

She was the first to pull away, refusing to meet his gaze, as though ashamed of what she'd done.

"Why?" her voice was soft and shaky, as though she was afraid of the answer.

He remained silent, pondering her question. Why had he done it? That was simple: to make it so that she was no longer angry with him. To make the atmosphere between them a little more bearable. To make it so that she would return being his medic.

No. His brows furrowed as he watched her look anywhere but at him. No...

His eyes drifted across her face, from her pastel, side bangs falling across her forehead and framing her cheekbones. From her pale skin that seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. From her brows that arched so beautifully in confusion and frustration. From her beautiful emerald eyes lined with thick dark lashes, drifting left to right, looking at anything _but him._ From her pearly teeth appearing and biting down on her pouty lower lip as she became more aware of his intense gaze.

No, his mind repeated. That's not why.

He remembered the first time he'd laid eyes on the woman before him, when she was only a child. Then, like now, all her thoughts had been about Sasuke. She'd completely devoted herself to Sasuke, to an extent where he respected her for it. It wasn't an obsessive devotion. She truly cared for him even back then, back when she did not even understand what it meant to care for someone.

He remembered the second time he'd laid eyes on her. She'd been with her team of Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto and a third member that he did not recognize. She was much older, but there was still that compassionate light in her eyes that he'd always found so compelling. She'd given him a hateful glare, then, but he understood why. To her, then, he was the one who'd taken everything from her precious someone. She'd wanted to make him pay for hurting Sasuke. She'd wanted to take his life so that Sasuke would be freed and perhaps she'd be able to save his soul. Perhaps she'd be able to heal his broken self.

Then, the next time he'd seen her, she hadn't known he was there. She'd been on a mission with shinobi he did not recognize, though he knew they were from the Nara, Inuzuka and Hyuga clans. She'd been joking with the Inuzuka shinobi, taunting her teammates and laughing so fully, her nose and eyes crinkling just slightly from her mirth. The sound was a pleasant one, and he knew that even her teammates could not help but fall for her charm. She truly had a gift that even she could not understand. She had the gift to bring pure light into a world tainted with darkness. She had the power to heal beyond physical injuries and scars, but the scars of the soul as well.

Yes, he was right to let her live. He'd known it the last time he'd met her before his showdown with Sasuke. He knew then that she and Naruto would be the ones to save Sasuke from his eternal darkness.

But here he was, kissing her, hurting her though he did not know how and he couldn't stop.

"Why?" She repeated, more firmly, placing her hands on his chest to push him away. He relented, though to be away from her was the last thing he wanted. His face remained stoic as he reached out and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, relishing the sight of her eyes widening in shock and something else he could not decipher.

His hand dropped.

"Why indeed, Sakura..." He said softly, leaning in and placing his lips against hers more firmly this time. His hand moved to cup the back of her head when she made to move. He parted too soon and stepped back.

"Why?!" She snapped, her eyes filling with tears she refused to shed in front of him.

"There is a reason for everything...Sakura..." he glanced at her one last time before walking away.

_Why you ask..._His eyes narrowed bitterly. _If only I could tell you the reason, Sakura. But I will not taint your light with my darkness...because your light will save Sasuke from eternal darkness.

* * *

_

Naruto's blue eyes glanced around the room, shifting from one suspicious gaze to the next. The tension in the room was almost tangible, and for once, he felt no inclination to break the ice. The time for jokes and games was long gone. The fate of everyone he loved was about to be determined. The upcoming war would be the greatest this world had ever seen...unless he could stop it.

He never spoke of his last encounter with Sasuke with anyone. The two had fought, briefly, stopping only when Madara showed up and took Sasuke away, although Naruto had no idea that Tobi was Madara then. The young shinobi had exchanged blows, and Naruto felt Sasuke's anger and desperation. He felt his longing and sadness, his pain and hatred. He knew what his duty was, then. He would shoulder all of Sasuke's emotions and the brothers would die together. It was the only way Sasuke could be saved...as well as Konoha. Naruto had promised Itachi that he would protect both, and this was the only way.

Naruto's eyes landed on Sakura who was sitting across from him reading a medical scroll as they waited for the meeting to commence.

She would be crushed when she found out that the two of them had died fighting each other. Before, no matter how many times he and Sasuke had butted heads, she was always there to step in and stop the fight. Once, she'd almost died in the process, had Kakashi not been there, she would have been torn to shreds. But never again, Naruto thought, his gaze dropping to the floor. This time, he would make sure she was far away when he went to face Sasuke...alone.

The window burst open and Kakashi casually stepped through, pocketing his orange book in his back pocket.

"Yo." He greeted, his one visible eye crinkling at the edge. The smile never reached his eye. A fake.

"Kakashi-senpai..." Sakura sighed. "You're temporary Hokage, you can't be late like this. It's not professional."

Kakashi let out a dry chuckle.

"But Sakura, the real guest of honor isn't here yet either." He supplied as he sat in the empty chair to her left.

"That's no excuse." She mumbled.

"Kakashi." Tsunade sighed, just like her student. "Enough of your foolishness. Now, where is Uchiha Itachi?"

As if on cue, the Uchiha entered the same way Kakashi had.

"Excuse my tardiness." Itachi bowed slightly to Tsunade, who dismissed it with a wave of her hand. Itachi made his way to sit next to Naruto, who stiffened slightly before relaxing. The tension increased tenfold to the point that it was stifling.

"Alright, now that everyone is here..." Tsunade folded her perfect, wrinkle-free hands in front of her. "Let's start. The meeting today is about the upcoming war with Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Sasuke."

"Madara?"

"How?"

"He's been long dead!"

"What the hell?"

Tsunade raised her hand and silence ensued instantly. It took only moments for her to explain the situation to the room but the confusion only increased.

"I'm revealing this long-hidden secret to you all because all of you have proven yourselves loyal to this village and country and you have all gained my trust." Her honey brown eyes glanced around the room at those present: Itachi, Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Yamato, Lee, Gai, Kurenai, Kiba, Shino, Choji, Temari as the representative for Sunagakure, Sai, Sakura, Kakashi, Suigetsu, Karin and Jugo. "Now, I ask you to keep this secret as it is...a secret. Tell no one because I'm sure you are all aware of the chaos that would be sure to follow should the general public hear of this."

No one said a word. The only sound in the room was made by Sakura who had finished reading her medical scroll and was rolling it back up.

"We do not have any information as of this point about Uchiha Madara's offensive style. Neither do we know when or how they will attack the village." Tsunade continued. "What we do know is that Madara was the one controlling the Akatsuki and is now in possession of seven of the nine tailed beasts. The only two remaining are Naruto and Killer Bee, of whom I'm sure you have all heard quiet a bit about. Undoubtedly, Madara will use the tailed beasts against the Alliance, which gives them the upper hand. What we must do is focus on finishing off Madara before he has the opportunity to summon the beasts." Tsunade paused and glanced at Itachi, who took it as a hint to speak.

Sakura nearly shivered at the sound of his smooth confident voice.

"Summoning the beasts takes quite a bit of preparation." As he spoke, his eyes focused on an invisible spot in the middle of the room, as though he did not want to look at any of them. "That, in and of itself, would take a lot of Madara's chakra. Although he is a mere shell of his former self, we cannot underestimate him. He is a formidable opponent. That said, he will gauge his chakra supply and summon only the strongest of the beasts, meaning, those with the most tails. Controlling the beasts also takes up a lot of chakra, in normal circumstances, but Madara has nearly perfected the Sharingan, which makes it that much easier to control the beasts." He paused. "No one in this room, aside from myself, has the ability to face Madara head on."

There were anxious shifts all around the room, as though no one knew whether to be offended or afraid.

"Therefore, I will be facing Madara...perhaps, with Kakashi-senpai's assistance, if that is alright." Itachi glanced at Kakashi, who nodded, before staring back at that invisible spot in midair. "Naruto-kun...I assume you will be facing Sasuke?"

Naruto stiffened and glanced at the older Uchiha, surprise written all over his face. His eyes instantly drifted to Sakura and guilt welled up inside of him at the expression on her face. He looked away instantly. After a hesitant moment, he looked back up.

"Yeah. I'll fight Sasuke -"

"-Naruto!" Sakura snapped.

"-_alone." _

Sakura froze, her emerald eyes widened in hurt and shock as she fought to understand what he was saying.

"That said..." Itachi continued. "Our main priority is to keep Naruto-kun safe inside the village. Madara has unprecedented abilities of transportation. I am sure many of you have already witnessed this. He is able to appear and disappear to and from anywhere at a mere whim. Meaning, Naruto-kun must not be alone even for a moment. He must have constant surveillance."

"That job will be up to you all." Tsunade interrupted, glancing around the room again. "You are this nation's finest shinobi. We will work out a schedule later. Er, continue."

"...As for the battle itself, I will be facing Madara, as I've already said, and Naruto-kun will face Sasuke. The rest of you would be of more use in fighting any backup they may have. I doubt Madara would charge into battle unprepared. At any case, in the occasion that a tailed beast is summoned, then all efforts must be directed to killing Madara." Itachi paused again. "It is impossible to kill a tailed beast, and very difficult to seal them, certainly impossible in the middle of a war. If all efforts are directed at killing Madara, he will feel overwhelmed. He will either flee or pull back the beasts to conserve chakra. Either way, it will be to our advantage for it will give us time to recuperate. Should anyone find an opening and an opportunity to kill Madara, do not hesitate. He will use that moment of hesitation to kill anyone and everyone. I'm sure you have all heard of how to fight an Uchiha." Nods all around the room. "Do not look into his eye, but at his feet. It will be a difficult battle..."

His voice trailed off, with the implication that many lives will be lost.

"Right. Shikamaru, plan?" Tsunade shifted in her chair.

Nara Shikamaru sighed and leaned forward.

"Well, Temari and I have worked out a plan from what Tsunade-sama has told us earlier. But, even with the added information from...Itachi...it will still work perfectly." He said. "Long range fighters, like Temari, Sai, Gaara, Tenten and Shino will be at the front lines, along with shinobi with similar abilities. The next line of defense would the medics, positioned in the middle to aid both the front lines as well as the inner defense. Their focus will be solely to conserve chakra and heal. That's it." he glanced pointedly at Sakura, who pursed her lips at the implication and looked away. "Then, once the enemy breaks through the outer defenses, the inner defense will move forward. That means close-contact attacks, like Hyuga, Lee, Gai, Inuzuka, Akimichi, etcetera. Yamato-san..."

"Tenzou."

"Ah, yes, Tenzou-san. You will be with Naruto at all times. We don't want a repeat of the last time Naruto fought a difficult enemy. He lost control and eight tails were released. We can't have that happen when Madara is so close." Shikamaru continued. "You." He looked at the redhead across from him and she stiffened instantly.

"I have a name!" She snapped. "It's Karin."

Shikamaru sighed. "Karin. You will be in the radio tower just across there." She followed his gaze to the tallest point in the village, a tower just a kilometer away from the Hokage Monument. "Starting at the end of this meeting, you will be there searching for Madara's location. You will inform us when starts getting closer. Ino will be with you, and your two buddies there. You tell her when gets near and she'll inform all of us with her Transfer Jutsu. In the meantime, she'll be healing Jugo's mind to prevent another outbreak like the one Sakura had to deal with the other day."

Jugo lowered his gaze regretfully.

"Hey! What about me?!" Suigetsu grinned toothily making Shikamaru sigh once more.

"You'll be their guard."

"What?! That's it?!"

"That's right. Deal with it." Shikamaru turned to Kakashi. "It would be a good idea for you to be backup for Itachi. Although I'm sure your Sharingan isn't as developed as his, it's still an asset. You'll be on equal footing with them." Kakashi nodded. "Well, that's the gist of it. Temari and I will work out the rest and get back to you."

"Alright. Everyone got that?" Tsunade's voice boomed in the silence of the room. "Meeting adjourned."

The departures were slow and quiet as the gravity of the upcoming fight weighed down on them all. It would be the fight of their lives, and of the world as they knew it. If they failed, they wouldn't just be losing their lives, but the lives of future generations as well.

Naruto glanced worriedly at Sakura, who was looking anywhere but at him. He knew she was angry, which was why he hadn't been planning to tell her. He couldn't afford to put her in danger. She had to stay away. He took a step toward her, afraid that their last moments together would be filled with anger and betrayal. But as soon as his foot touched the ground, she was up and moving toward the windows. He watched her, his expression pained, as she opened the window and jumped out.

"Naruto." Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. "What are you planning?"

Naruto shrugged his hand away and glared at the ground.

"I'm the only one...I'm the only one who can shoulder Sasuke's hatred. I won't let anyone die because of this. Sasuke is as much a victim as anyone else." he muttered. "I wasn't going to tell her! I knew she'd be angry!"

"I think she's more angry that you didn't tell her, Naruto. How did you feel when you found out that she was planning to kill Sasuke without telling you?" Kakashi said, not noticing Itachi's eyes widen just slightly when he heard his words.

"I guess..." Naruto sighed. "I should apologize to her. I don't want us to part on bad terms."

"That's very mature of you, Naruto." Kakashi placed a hand on his student's head. "Tenzou will be with you for the first shift. Remember, don't do anything reckless. We're all relying on you."

"Yeah..." Naruto made his way out the door.

Tsunade sighed as Itachi and Kakashi also disappeared. She opened the drawer on her right and pulled out a picture frame from under the stacks of paper. She ran a finger across the smile and sighed.

"How I wish you were still here. I don't think I can do this myself..." The white haired man grinned at her widely in the picture, his fist thrust in the air. She chuckled as she remembered the day they took the picture. "It was the first time I said yes to anything you asked me." She mumbled to herself. "I agreed to let you take me to that festival as my date...you were so happy..."

She sighed and placed the picture back in the desk.

_This world is twisted..._she thought bitterly. _The young die while the old linger...The fate of the wold is in those kids' hands. _

-

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-

_

* * *

**A/N:** Longest chapter of my life! 11,000 words! I hope you're enjoying this story, I'm really liking it so far. I'm kind of sad because there aren't many people reviewing but it's alright. I understand you're all busy. I'm just glad you're reading it! Thanks everyone for your support! You're going to love the ending of this!! 3_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**_Breathe_**

_"Because I can't live without you..."

* * *

_

Naruto confronted her almost exactly three minutes after the meeting was adjourned. His steady expression was almost able to hide his guilt, but Sakura saw through it and felt the urge to make him drown in remorse. She wasn't heartless, she could guess what he was thinking when he planned all of this. He probably thought she wouldn't find out until it was too late.

"Sakura..." His voice was soft and pleading, and the loss of the honorific was proof enough that he wasn't there to just beg for her forgiveness and do as she asked. No. This was the adult Naruto. He no longer begged for anything and always stood his ground.

She stopped walking and looked up at him with expressionless eyes, glazed-over emerald that nearly crushed his heart.

"What is it Naruto?" Her voice was weary, as though she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, as if she'd already pictured the deaths of the two most important men in her life and the grief of it was already too much for her to bear.

"...I shouldn't have tried to hide it from you." He started, his gaze never straying from hers. "It was wrong of me...I'm sorry."

She knew she would be affected by all of this, she just never expected it to affect her to that extent. Her emotions flared and she was consumed with rage, grief, pain and love, conflicting emotions swirling around within her until she thought she would have a break down in the middle of the street.

A single tear ran down her cheek and instantly, she was in his embrace, held tightly against his muscular chest, enveloped within his protective arms. Her face was pressed up against his shoulder and her eyes focused on the soft blond hair lightly touching the tanned skin of his strong neck. She moved her arms around him until they clutched the back of his vest, then pulled tight, until she could almost not breathe from the force of the hug.

He whispered her name, and in that one word, she felt all his feelings pouring out.

She felt his deep-rooted love for her, both as a sister-figure, friend and something more. He wished there could have been something more, but both of them knew that there would only be one man capable of owning her whole heart.

She felt his sadness. He knew his end was coming near, but he'd long accepted it. It was the only thing he could do for Sasuke, for her and for Kakashi. It was the only thing he could do for Konoha, at this point, and he would willingly face his best friend and brother to the death. He would kill and die in the process, to ensure everyone's safety, Sakura's future happiness, and Sasuke's freedom. He would carry that burden on his shoulders, because he alone has the ability to hold up that weight.

She felt his desperation, as he fought to will time to move faster, so he could fight Sasuke and end this before the pain drove him mad; as he fought to slow down time so he would never have to step out of that embrace; as he hoped and prayed for time to rewind to the time Team Seven was still whole and happy despite their struggles, so he could relive those happy memories and learn to cherish them because they had been his most valuable treasures.

She felt it all, and he felt her own hopes, dreams and fears.

Then they separated.

They watched each other with eyes filled with acceptance and love. Then Naruto bent forward, his hands still around her shoulders, and his blue eyes staring into hers. His lips were soft against hers, and she moved back, kissing him gently as he did to her, both saying so much with such a light, brief contact. They watched each other, eyes open and searching, then they parted. Naruto gave her his goofy lopsided grin, and she returned it with her pretty smile, head tilted just slightly to the side.

"Sakura-chan, I..."

He didn't need to say it. She knew it, she _saw _it in his eyes, _felt_ it in his embrace. He loved her, and she loved him back. Although she could never reciprocate his romantic feelings for her, she did love him as a brother, and that was enough for him.

With a glance behind her, Naruto gave her one last grin before walking away. She waited half a heartbeat before continuing to her destination, heart heavy with contained emotions, but her mind blank, numb to all thoughts.

Sakura knew the blond was going to spend this day saying his goodbyes to all those he loved. She knew, but she refused to ponder the thought of 'goodbyes' any longer.

_Naruto is doing his part to protect this village and to save Sasuke!_ She thought as her eyes looked ahead, determined and strong. _And now, I'm going to do mine._ Her steps quickened and jumped into an ally, just as the sun hid behind a dark cloud.

* * *

She knew he'd be at the house before her, and she was impressed at his ability to run straight across a supposed enemy village without being caught. Uchiha Itachi truly was a great shinobi. But he wasn't one she wanted to spend time alone with. At this point, it couldn't be helped. She was confused and stressed the fuck out of her mind, especially after her talk with Naruto. That fool, what was he thinking planning to fight with Sasuke and not even tell her! Unhindered anger coursed through her body at the memory of their chat just a few minutes earlier. She knew it wasn't right to stay angry with him but she just couldn't find it in her to forgive him for betraying their friendship so easily.

It hurt.

Sakura pushed it out of her mind as she made her way into the house to face the other occupant.

Sure enough, he was sitting on the couch facing the new TV she'd just bought a few months ago. His eyes were hard as he stared holes into the small coffee table in front of him, his fingers folded just under his chin and his posture was relaxed. She waited for him to speak, because she knew that was why he was still sitting in her living room. Normally, he would either be in the kitchen, bathroom, or in the guest room he'd started to occupy since he got better.

With her, Ino and Hinata exchanging shifts for the course of several days, his body had healed quite quickly and without complications. The most time consuming injuries were those in his eyes, which she'd taken care of in less than a week. His vision was near perfect, but would deteriorate once again if he over used the Mangekyu and any of its attacks.

Itachi pulled her from her thoughts when he shifted his position, leaning back against the couch with his left arm against the back and his right leg laid across his left thigh. His dark eyes were on her, an emotion she didn't recognize flashed through then disappeared as quickly as it came. He motioned with his right hand and she sat in the seat across from him, feeling like a child who was about to be scolded.

"I hope you are not too angry with Naruto-kun, Sakura-san." He started. "He is merely doing what he thinks is best for you, Sasuke and the village."

Her fists tightened on her skirt.

"He's an idiot! I'm as much a part of Team Seven as him and Kakashi-senpai! I have just as much right to fight Sasuke as he does."

The same emotion flickered through his eyes again and she felt unease bubble through her stomach.

"Are you so eager to end my brother's life, Sakura-san?"

She blanched. Was he mental? How could he think she wanted to end Sasuke's life? She's been trying so hard to save his life! Wha -

"Why would you think that?" Her gaze was hard as she glared at him. "What I'm saying is I want to save Sasuke-kun as much as Naruto does. I love him as much as Naruto does, although in a different way. Don't twist my words and make them sound corrupt."

"And yet..." He sighed, rubbing his yes. "...you were planning to kill Sasuke before, were you not?"

Her eyes visibly widened.

"How did you...?"

"I heard."

Her lips tightened.

"I was planning to kill him." Her gaze turned to the floor. "But that was before I understood...things. I was ignorant and I foolishly believed that killing him was the only way to save him..."

"And now you think differently?"

"Yes. Yeah, I do." She was uneasy under his gaze, as though his eyes alone were accusing her of doing something wicked and cruel to Sasuke. "I...I have to have faith in Naruto. In them. Because apparently, having faith is all I can do." Her voice turned bitter. "Even though I've become so much stronger...I still can't do anything for them..."

Itachi provided no words of comfort, not that she'd expected him to, and merely stood to walk away.

"Sasuke is going blind..." He spoke with his back to her. "He will come soon. He will fight Naruto-kun, but Madara will be there to make sure neither of them dies. Both are essential to the success of his plan. He will extract the Kyubi from Naruto-kun then...he will take Sasuke's eyes."

"What? Why would he want Sasuke's eyes?"

"To achieve the ultimate Sharingan." He continued. "Sakura-san...have you still not figured out your role in this war?"

"...My role?"

"You are a healer." He glanced at her over his shoulder. "So heal them. When they are bruised and broken and bleeding...stitch up their wounds and make them better."

Her eyes widened just slightly at his words. Just a few moments ago, he seemed as though he was upset with her. As though the idea of her contemplating killing his brother was so absurd that she needed to be _punished_ for it. But now, he was almost comforting her. She was a medic ninja, so healing was her job as much as killing was. But...the way he'd said it made it sound like there was a double meaning behind his words.

She didn't want to think about his hidden kindness and his profound affection for both this village and his younger brother. She wished she could go back to her ignorant days so many years ago when the most important thing to her was growing out her hair because Sasuke-kun _liked_ long hair. She wished life was simpler. She wished that the youth wouldn't have to suffer and die for the selfishness of the old. She wished Itachi hadn't had to make such a horrible decision that night. She wished Sasuke didn't have to live with such a twisted fate. She wished Naruto wasn't burdened with the responsibility of being a Junchuriki. She wished that she wasn't so weak that she could do nothing but stand by as her boys fought to the death.

But there were no shooting stars to grant her wishes, and she opened her eyes to reality.

"Itachi...will you defeat Madara?" Her eyes bore into his, almost drowning in ebony. They betrayed nothing, as expected, but her heart ached for him. Standing there in the middle of her living room, dressed in casual attire of a plain black shirt, plain black pants and his weapons pouches, he looked so empty and broken. But when he spoke, there was a fire in him that she could only remember witnessing in Naruto when he pushed against all odds to do what is right, or in Sasuke when he'd spoken of completing his goals.

"I will defeat Madara." She was sure he could do it, but...

"You'll die as well." A statement, because the fact hung in the silence between them.

She would lose three, if not more, important people in her life the day the war started.

"My presence is no longer tied to this world." Itachi said, his eyes drifting out the window. "I did what I thought was best for my village, I strengthened my younger brother until I thought he could defend himself against all others....I am sure now that Sasuke will be freed, either through death or...in light," he glanced at her and away."So, my last duty in this life is to kill Madara, and I shall rest with no regrets."

"You're giving up your life." She snapped, her tone bitter.

"I am giving up nothing, Sakura." He replied calmly. "There is no sure way that I can survive the battle with Madara, even with my strength regained. Kakashi-sempai might end up finishing Madara off after I'm dead. No one can truly predict the future."

"The way you talk, it sounds like you're begging for death."

"Do you fear death, Sakura?"

She scowled.

"I'm a shinobi! I don't fear death nor pain." her fists tightened at her side. "All I fear...is losing the people most important to me..."

She refused to look at him, for fear that the tears forming in her eyes would spill over and reveal her inner weakness to him. She heard the rustle of his clothes as he moved closer to her, and saw his bare feet just half a foot away from hers.

He did not touch her, and she finally looked up, only to gasp at the expression on his face. It was still very controlled, his facial muscles were completely relaxed save for the slight crinkle in his right brow and the slight tightness in his lips. Her eyes lingered a little too long on his lips.

"I am..." his voice was soft and his breath warm. "I am...an important person...to you?"

Her heart thumped sporadically against her ribcage at the soft question. She was almost afraid to ponder the thought. She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind and return her heartbeat to normal.

Was he important to her? Until just a few weeks ago, he'd been the most hated person in her life, second only to Orochimaru. He'd threatened the lives of her two most important people, Naruto and Sasuke. But now, everything changed. She'd come to respect him as a shinobi and as a person. He'd done what no other person could do. He'd been strong enough to crush his own feelings completely to save_ her_, indirectly, and everyone else in the village.

But was it just respect and admiration that she felt for the man? Looking at him now, she couldn't help but admit her physical attraction to him. Was she feeling lustful toward him? Perhaps, but there was something deeper also. She cared for him, almost like one would care for an injured animal. He was hurt, and, using his own words, she was a healer. But she'd never felt this much attachment to any of her other patients.

Her thoughts ran around and around in endless loops of confusion and frustration.

"Yes." She finally answered his question. "I care about you, Itachi. I don't want you to die. You should live and find your happiness. You deserve at least that...I want that for you."

That beautiful smile dazzled her once more and she was caught completely unawares as he bent over again and claimed her lips, this time more fiercely and desperately than anytime before.

This time, she had no intention of pulling away. Just like with her kiss with Naruto, this kiss was innocent, and both parties needed the solace.

* * *

He walked through the dimly lit, maze-like halls in silence, eyes straining to see in the darkness. His pale hands fisted in frustration at his sides and desperate anger coursed through him at the thought that he was indeed going blind, and there was nothing that could be done for him. It was only a few moments earlier that he'd confronted Madara once again about transplanting his brother's eyes, only to be told that his brother's body was nowhere to be found.

Sasuke knew that had he stayed near Madara for a second longer, the two would have fought. He'd felt anger and dark hatred fill him to the brim, and felt his control slipping. His Mangekyu had activated on its own from the adrenaline rush. Madara had stayed quiet and calm as Sasuke fought for control, but the tension in his body implied his readiness to fight if need be. Unable to stand the sight of the twisted old man in front of him, Sasuke turned around and left the room filled with Uchiha eyes, glaring hatefully at him, and delved into the darkness of the halls.

Soon enough, he thought as his left hand lifted and his fingers pressed gently against the center of his forehead. _Soon enough, I will avenge you Itachi. Only then will I find peace._

He made his way to his quarters by relying on instinct alone. He could not see even two feet in front of him, and used his other senses to avoid any of the other members of Madara's group who might have been on a midnight walk. They were all anxious for the upcoming battle, as was he. There were eleven of them in total, including himself and Madara, but he had to admit that they were indeed a strong group of shinobi. He'd only met them three days earlier, and their reactions to him were vastly different.

Takahiro was the first one he'd met. Born in Amegakure, he'd been the first and most easily convinced to join the new group, "Hakumei." He'd been one of the shinobi that had allied themselves to Pein when he had control of Amegakure. Takahiro had given no acknowledgment to Sasuke, and Sasuke had given none in return. The gray haired man was the oldest among them, second only to Madara, in his early forties, but he was a difficult opponent to take down for any regular shinobi. His jutsu were mainly taijutsu and weapons techniques. His lack of a great chakra supply deterred him from using any ninjutsu or genjutsu.

Tsubasa was the second man that had been forced into Hakumei. A shinobi from the village Hidden in the Sky, most of his jutsu were air based. Sasuke had to admit that he was impressed by the young man's ability to remain in midair by merely projecting his chakra into the air around him so that the air held him up against gravity. His hand-to-hand combat was lacking greatly, but his ninjutsu made up for it. His cheery demeanor and constant excitement reminded Sasuke of his former teammate, and that reminder alone put the sixteen year-old Tsubasa on Sasuke's "People I Despise" list.

Sasuke recognized Hiroshi from the bingo book he'd used during his stay in Orochimaru's lair. The seven-foot-three man was large and bulky, his body so completely disproportional to his head that he looked like he was all brawn and no brains. But the man was a tactical genius, almost as astounding as Shikamaru. He was a missing nin from Otogakure from before Sasuke had sought after Orochimaru. Hiroshi had been one of their generals, one of the highest commanding officers before one day, he'd gone berserk and single-handedly destroyed all of their military bases before going AWOL for the next twenty years. At thirty-seven, he was the second oldest, and by far Sasuke's favorite person from the new group. He always kept to himself and did as he was told without a word, which put him on Sasuke's "People I Despise Less Than Most" list. The one thing Sasuke found quite annoying about the man was the little bird that always followed him, either floating in the air around his head, or sitting on his shoulder. Even Sasuke had to appreciate its beauty, with its golden feathers and light blue marks all around its face, it looked like an exotic breed, and Hiroshi would not allow anyone to come near it, though the only person that had tried was Mayu.

The woman was fiesty and complained a lot, but he had to admit that her lightning jutsu were almost as fearsome as his Chidori - _almost _being the operative word. With her long blond hair and pale skin, although he couldn't see the details, he noted that she must have been attractive, considering how the other men around her drooled whenever she walked by. She'd yet to reveal her origins and rarely spoke about her past. But that was fine with him, Sasuke decided, he didn't want to know any useless information anyway. Sasuke had initially thought she was from the Land of Lightning, considering her jutsu, as did the other men. But when Tsubasa had suggested the thought, he'd been the first to taste her anger and lightning as she immediately dismissed the comment with a quick 'hmph' and some spit on the ground.

Ryuu was from a village hidden underground, one that Sasuke had not known even existed. It was a village thought to have disappeared after a massive earth quake and landslide that had completely covered the area where the village had been standing. Ryuu was a brooding man who liked to glare at anything that moved and everything that didn't. With his pale blond hair and even paler skin, due to lack of sunlight, he seemed like a normal enough man. But when he activated his jutsu, he turned into a beast and breathed fire. Ninjutsu was his specialty, but his weakness was, Sasuke let out a snort when he discovered this, that he could not swim.

Masato was the sixth, and one of the most twisted men Sasuke had ever encountered. While Orochimaru was twisted in that he wanted to experiment on people and take their bodies, and Madara was twisted in that he wanted to control the world, Masato was twisted in a religious sense. He believed in a religion called Jashin and thought that doing anything but completely massacring any leaving creature was a sin. Madara had informed Sasuke that Akatsuki had once had a member who was of the same religion. His name had been Hidan, and he'd been killed by Asuma and Shikamaru. Masato was one of the many that annoyed Sasuke, as he spouted nonsense about his fucked up religion every time he could get someone to listen to him.

Aito and Kaito were tied for the number one spot on his list of 'most annoying people'. The Iwagakure shinobi were astounding in their abilities to use the terrain to their advantage - they were able to bring rocks and stones underwater to the surface and alter the terrain completely if they so wished. They had incredible teamwork, were able to nearly read each others' minds along with their body movements, making their cooperative attacks nearly unstoppable. But despite their skills, their habitual tendencies to finish each others' sentences annoyed anyone that was within the same proximity as them for even a moment.

The last new addition to Hakumei was still a faceless stranger to Sasuke, for he neither saw his face nor heard his name. Madara had only informed him that the last member had arrived, and had given him no further information as to his ability or his physical appearance. Sasuke had no interest in finding out anything more about any of Madara's chosen, so the new addition to Hakumei was seldom in his thoughts.

A sudden shout of a curse brought Sasuke out of his reverie. He heard their voices, heard their pointless arguments over petty things as he stepped closer and closer to the large chamber they all had to share. It still amazed and aggravated Sasuke that in this over-sized lair, they had to share a single room, albeit it was extremely large, but most of the others' arguments were about personal privacy.

Mayu's voice was the first he distinguished, for the sole reason that she was the only woman...and she complained a lot.

"You bastard! I_ told_ you to stay away from my bras!"

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in irritation and his anger flared along with his chakra, altering all of them to his presence.

He opened - _slammed_ - the door and stepped inside, ignoring all the irritated, hateful glares he received and made his way to his bunk across the room. Mayu had Tsubasa in a chokehold, her eyes glinting with the prospect of killing him. The sixteen year-old struggled in vain, a grin still on his face as continuously apologized and promised not to do so again. None of the other members paid them any attention, knowing full well that Mayu had a soft spot for Tsubasa, although the reason for it was still unknown.

They each returned to their bunks, commencing to sharpen their weapons or read over their scrolls one last time before the war started. The silence was almost stifling and Sasuke felt restlessness growing inside of him. He held his kusanagi tightly in his hand and flexed his fingers, feeling the beginnings of his chidori coursing through his body.

It was the twins that broke the silence.

"Hey, why don't -"

"-we play a game?" The twenty-six year olds said together.

"What kind of game?" Tsubasa called over, excitement evident in his eyes.

"Well, not really a -"

"-game. Why don't we just-"

"-go around the room -"

"-and everybody-"

"-say why you joined-"

"-Madara in the first place."

The silence lasted but a moment before Tsubasa volunteered himself to go first.

"Madara...came to me three weeks ago." He said. "My family...they're nomads, they don't really live in any village. He threatened to kill them...I don't know why he wanted me to join but I couldn't refuse when my parents' lives were at stake." He shrugged and gave a bitter smile. "So, here I am."

No one said anything for a few heartbeats, then it was Kaito who spoke.

"Well, you all know when Aito and I joined." he leaned back against the wall with his palms cupping the back of his head, his lips parted in a mischievous grin. "About a week or so ago. Madara just told us -"

"-we'd be able to use the Bijous' power -" Aito chimed in.

"-It sounded cool so -"

"-we thought we'd give it a shot."

Mayu snorted.

"Idiots."

"Hey!" Kaito snapped.

"Why don't you tell us then, miss Stick-up-her-ass!" Aito continued.

Mayu folded her arms across her chest and glared at the floor between her feet.

"Well?"

"It's none of your damn business!" She huffed.

"Hey, guys, just leave her alone!" Tsubasa grinned when they glared at him."So. Who's next?"

It was Takihiro who spoke next.

"I've always believed that the leader of Akatsuki was a God." He gave a toothless grin, his eyes staring off into space as though remembering a pleasant thought. "He was truly magnificent. But, when I found out he was actually being controlled by someone else, I figured I'd like to meet this person who could control a god. Sure enough, I fought Madara and he was the real deal. So I thought, if there's going to be a war, why not side with the winning team?" He let out a hoarse chuckle, and Masato's bass voice chimed in from the cot next to him.

"Nice logic." He grinned. "Though I must admit that all your bullshit about god is getting on my nerves." Takihiro glared at him, but Masato ignored him as he looked around the room. "My only reason for joining is so kill. Jashin is all about the beauty of death, and I want to fucking _kill."_

Sasuke's eyes flickered to where he was sure the deranged man was sitting, though he could see nothing but colorful blurs in the low light.

"Crazy son of a bitch." Takihiro mumbled, only to have Masato chuckle again and lean back against his pillow.

Tsubasa, who seemed to be the only one enjoying their "storytelling around the campfire" was quick to move on.

"Ryuu-san, what's your story?"

All eyes turned to the quiet man, still brooding in his corner as he opened his eyes and glared at each of them, receiving glares back.

"To take revenge against the Kyuubi for destroying my village." His voice was low but cold, dripping with hatred as he whispered the nine-tails' name.

An awkward silence fell instantly and Sasuke relished the silence, dreading its inevitable end. Sure enough, Mayu's voice ripped through once more as she cursed and grumbled to herself across the room. Once more, Tsubasa spoke, trying to keep the spirit of the 'game' alive as he asked the last remaining member of their group: Hiroshi.

The large man had been silent since his arrival to the base, keeping to himself and interacting only with his bird. Sure enough, he did not even budge an inch at Tsubasa's encouragement.

"Well, that's everyone." Takihiro muttered as he leaned back against the wall and folded his hands behind his head. "Miss I-have-a-stick-up-my-ass don't wanna share and we all know why Mr. I-have-a-stick-up-my-ass is here."

Sasuke felt their eyes on his face as he did his best to ignore all of them and focus on the upcoming battle.

"To avenge his murdered family, slaughtered by his own, lunatic brother." Takihiro continued, his tone mocking and condescending as he verbally spat on the Uchiha name. Sasuke felt his anger boil but he refused to show how the man's words affected him. Instead, he pictured in his mind his hand, alight with his Chidori, cutting through the older man's chest and ripping his still-beating heart right out and shoving it back in hi mouth. The thought almost brought a smirk to his face.

"Though that don't make much sense, considerin' his crazy brother is dead now. He probably went crazy as well and decided to listen to his lunatic genes and kill everyone he ever knew."

"His teammates included?" Tsubasa's eyes full of innocence widened. "But...I heard Kakashi Hatake was on that team!"

"Hai. And the Kyuubi container, too." Kaito supplied.

"Ooh and that kunoichi, what-" Aito continued.

"-was her name?"

Masato grinned maniacally. "Sakura Haruno."

There was a loud, animallistic growl and suddenly, Mayu was on her feet, glaring at the Jashin-worshipper.

"Don't speak that bitch's name in front of me if you don't want your body skewered like a fish."

"Oh ho." Takihiro whistled. "Someone's a tad bit sensitive. What got your panties in a bunch?"

"You want to know why I joined that madman? I'll tell you." She snapped. "It's to kill that bitch Sakura Haruno!"

Her fury burned white hot and she was about to storm out of the room when Sasuke's voice halted her steps.

"No." Their eyes turned to his calm face behind them as he stared unseeingly at the ground. "No one will touch Sakura."

"Like hell! She's mine Uchiha!" Mayu snapped.

Instantly he was inches away from her, his firm grip around her throat holding her up a few feet off the ground.

"No one...touches Sakura." he repeated, relishing the feeling of her fingers trying to pull his fingers off her neck, all in vain. As he watched her face, visible only due to their proximity, his mind became filled with Sakura. Sakura's smile, her annoying voice as she called out his name, her weak tears as she cried for him, her fragile body as she held onto him, her fiery eyes as she tried to kill him, and her...

His fingers tightened for a moment before he released the girl, who had passed out due to suffocation. Without waiting for a reaction, he once again stepped out of the room.

His mind ran through his memories with Sakura and Naruto and Kakashi, their missions and their nights eating out at Ichiraku. He knew if he continued to think about such weak thoughts, he'd hesitate when he faced them once the battle broke out. So he delved into his bloody memories of that night, drowned himself in his own anger and hatred, surrounded himself with Itachi's smile as his older brother released his last breath.

There would be no hesitation when me would meet his former teammates. He will kill Naruto and Kakashi first, cover himself in their blood before heading for Sakura. Because, after all, she was the weakest of them and the easiest to kill off. But before he ended her life, he decided, he would pull her into his arms, covered with her teammates' blood, and whisper to her as she cried tears of sorrow and resignation.

"Do you see the monster I am, Sakura?"

"Do you see what I've always been?"

And she would reply, Yes. You are a monster.

And he would ask:

"Do you still love me now that you've seen what I am?"

After a pause, she would answer: Yes. I'll always love you.

Because he knew Sakura. She was so easy to read, so easy to fool.

After she'd cling to him, hoping he would have a change of heart and spare her, so they could live happily ever after in that bloodbath, he would take step back and smile at her.

"Then, Sakura, I will take your heart."

And he would plunge his hand through her chest and rip out the heart that she'd offered him for so many years. And he'd continue smiling as her eyes widened in shock and pain, and turn a dull green color as she breathes her last breath, whispering his name one last time...

It was there, in a dimly lit hall in Madara's lair, half a day before the battle, that Uchiha Sasuke was sure he'd lost every bit of sanity and humanity that he might have had.

He leaned against the wall behind him and slid to the ground, clutching his sword to his chest, as a maniacal smile stretched from ear to ear across his face...

...and crystal-like tears dripped to the dirt covered ground.

* * *

They met under the streetlight just a few blocks away from the Ichiraku ramen shop. It was three in the morning, and the village was empty save for the select few shinobi out patrolling the empty streets. The civilians were hidden safe in the underground tunnels leading to the mountain containing the Hokage statues. The streets were empty of villages, but filled with memories.

They hadn't planned to meet at this particular place. It just...happened. In fact, they hadn't planned to meet at all, yet none of them could sleep at the thought of what was sure to come in the following hours.

Surprisingly, Kakashi had been the first at the light, leaning against the pole and staring up at the sky with his uncovered eye. There was no orange book held loosely in his hand, there was no pale pink blush on his cheeks as he giggled to himself behind those pages filled with romance. No. His face was stoic under the thin material of his mask, and in his hand was not an orange book, but two dented bells swaying this way and that from the light breeze, jingling the soft sound of their memories.

Sakura was next to arrive, her face showing a hint of surprise, but mostly understanding. Her steps were slow yet calm, as though she was trying to let these moments last a lifetime. She was wearing her ANBU uniform, mask held loosely in her hands. The uniform itself was different than the usual ANBU uniforms specifically because she was a medic nin. The only subtle difference was the white sign of the medics etched into the left shoulder strap of the vest. Her pale arms nearly glowed in the soft streetlight in contrast to the black of the uniform, but Kakashi had to admit to himself that she looked beautiful, worthy of a painting, in that instant.

She stopped a foot away from him, close enough to receive the warm and assurance, yet far enough not to suffocate. Her eyes were bright as always, and warm, as she silently conveyed to him that it'll all be alright. Everything would be fine. It's all going to work out. Whatever happens will be for the best. They won't give up. They'll survive. They'll save -

She looked away.

And he looked away, hand still open, bells still sounding out in the dark.

Naruto was last to appear, surprising them both by not having a single article of clothing with the color orange. He was also wearing his ANBU uniform, one he'd discarded once he'd been chosen for the title of Hokage. His right hand was in his pocket, and in his left was a headband, with the Konoha leaf symbol etched onto the metal...and a slash across the surface. Naruto stopped just outside of the circle emitted by the streetlight. His eyes rose and he looked at his two teammates for a moment before raising his left hand, still holding the headband, and gave them a victory sign, his signature grin on his face, though never reaching his eyes.

Sakura gave him a smile back and Kakashi moved over and placed his hand on his pupil's head, slightly chagrined that the blond was now taller than him.

The three made their way away from the streetlight and toward the closed ramen shop. They sat at the counter, Sakura in between her boys, and immersed themselves in their memories.

Naruto thought of the many times he and Iruka-sensei sat in that very spot and shared lunch in celebration.

Sakura remembered the time she and Sai brought Naruto here to celebrate his passing the Jonin exams.

Kakashi thought of the time Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto had tried to sneak a peak at his face under the mask by taking him out to lunch.

Sasuke filled their minds and hearts, his existence to them so large that each of them felt as though they would explode.

To Naruto, he was a brother.

To Kakashi, he was a son, a brother, and a friend.

To Sakura, he was a teammate, and her one true love.

Yet none of them could do anything for him as he strayed to the path of darkness and revenge.

And once the sun rose over the horizon, one of them would have to end him, or die trying.

The three held hands for a moment, savoring their memories.

There was a blast in the distance, screams of warning, and they knew, their hell had begun.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Sorry for the late update. Had finals and am now working full time. I don't really have time to collect my thoughts and edit everything. I'm sorry if this chapter is not as good as the others, it was just giving some perspective on who's going to be fighting whom. It's also meant to show the suffering Teams Seven goes through the night before the battle. The next chapter will be the battle itself, but I won't reveal too much so you guys will feel some suspense ;) Thanks for all that reviewed! I love you guys and you all make me happy with your kind words of encouragement!_


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